When Life Gives You Lightning
by katurdi
Summary: Blindsided AU: When a thunderstorm hits the Edge, Hiccup is blinded by lightning. He and the other riders must find their spooked dragons, while a certain enemy waits for the perfect time to strike. Warning: RTTE Spoilers. Hiccstrid. Hiccup!whump. ABANDONED. SORRY GUYS!
1. Blinded

**Hi guys, it's katurdi! Welcome to my first fanfic: When Life Gives You Lighting. I'm obsessed with Hiccup!whump and figured "Hey, what if Hiccup was blinded instead of Astrid?" BOOM. New fanfic. This is basically Blindsided with my own personal twist.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own HTTYD.**

 **WARNING: Contains RTTE Spoilers**

* * *

"LOOK OUT!"

The Triple Stryke somersaulted and landed, digging its barbed tail into the ground. Hiccup, who was directly in front of the dragon, stumbled backwards from the impact. He regained his footing and repositioned Inferno, growling in frustration. The Triple Stryke prepared his tail and held it up threateningly at its opponents, while Toothless and Stormfly growled at the dragon. Toothless prepared a plasma blast to shoot at the Triple Stryke, but was stopped by his rider. "Toothless no! We're trying to train it."

"How are we supposed to train it if we can't get closed to it?" asked Astrid from atop Stormfly.

"Guess we can't blame it, the last humans it dealt with forced it to fight other dragons to the death," said Hiccup thoughtfully.

"Hiccup," Astrid began. "Maybe we should make room for the possibility that the Triple Stryke is just... untrainable."

"We're making progress! If we could just find a way to get this guy on board. Have him fighting with us instead of against us."

The Triple Stryke roared and advanced slowly toward the dragons and riders. "Stormfly, spine shot!" yelled Astrid. Stormfly launched a few spines near the Triple Stryke's feet. The Triple Stryke roared and snapped his claws at Stormfly.

"Look, we-we've dealt with way worse," insisted Hiccup.

"Snotlout doesn't count!" said Astrid, looking back at Hiccup.

"Good one Astrid," said Fishlegs, who flew down on Meatlug. "I'll have to remember that!"

"Fishlegs! What brings you to the valley of pain?" she yelled sarcastically.

"Snotlout and the twins just got back from patrol, and there are multiple storm fronts heading right for us." warned Fishlegs. "We need to lock down the Edge before they start to hit."

"Okay," Hiccup turned to the Triple Stryke. "We're not done here." The Triple Stryke roared threateningly at him.

* * *

Astrid flew behind Snotlout, who was attempting to hang up a tarp. "Snotlout, what are you doing?" she yelled.

"Covering up my S!" He yelled back. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You're supposed to be closing the dome and battening down the hatches!"

"Hey, I'm not leaving the 'S' hanging out in the wind."

"SNOTLOUT!" yelled Astrid.

"FINE." Snotlout hastily covered his 'S' with the tarp and flew away with Hookfang. When the tarp blew off, he yelled in frustration.

* * *

Next Astrid flew to Fishlegs, who was herding the Night Terrors into the stables. "Fishlegs, hurry!" she yelled. "You need to get them into the stables, the storm-"

"I know I know! My thunder to lightning calculations are never wrong, and according to them, well, let's just say it's-" Fishlegs was interrupted by a strike of lightning, making him shriek. "REALLY CLOSE."

The twins flew up behind Astrid on Barf and Belch. "What do you want us to do?" Asked Tuffnut, who was serious for once.

"Get to the clubhouse, and don't move." She answered.

"Really?" Ruffnut complained. "And who put you in charge exactly?"

"We all voted Astrid storm warden!" yelled Fishlegs angrily.

"Well I would like to rescind my vote." Tuffnut crossed his arms. "If that's the right word."

"Oh, sorry! Too late! Now get going." Astrid replied sarcastically. She and Stormfly flew back towards the clubhouse.

* * *

In the clubhouse, Tuff held his clucking chicken. He looked at her weirdly, trying to figure out why she wouldn't stop clucking. Ruff stood behind Tuff and watched with wide eyes.

Hiccup walked in with Toothless and stood in front of Astrid expectantly. "Did you drop off the food and water at the stables?" She questioned him.

"Yep." Replied Hiccup. "Troughs are all full." He and Astrid looked over at Fishlegs, who was closing the door to the clubhouse.

"Well, the dragons are all cozy in their pen." Fishlegs said.

"Did you lock the main doors?" Asked Astrid with her fists on her hips.

Fishlegs laughed nervously "Astrid, Astrid, of course. Who would forget something like that?" He stopped to think and scratched his head. "I mean, I guess it is possible… but I would never! But then again there's a first time for everything…"

Astrid groaned in frustration. "I'll go check.." She turned to go but was stopped by Hiccup, who grabbed her arm.

"Wait! I'll go." He said.

Astrid rolled her eyes angrily. "Hiccup, it's fine, I can go myself!" But when she turned around, he was already gone. She huffed angrily. "Muttonhead."

* * *

Hiccup ran out of the clubhouse and jumped on Toothless. "Let's go bud!" Toothless leapt into the air and soared in the direction of the stables. Once they landed, he jumped off onto the platform. Hiccup looked up and saw a flash of lightning strike the roof of the clubhouse. He shuddered momentarily, remembering his last encounter with lightning. He quickly regained his senses and ran towards the stables.

Hiccup shoved open the doors and glanced around, gasping when he saw the interior. Debris covered the stable floors. The terrified dragons roared and paced in their stables. He ran up to the nearest stable and started opening the doors. "Come on! Get to safety, this place is about to come down!" The released dragons quickly flew and crawled out the door, away from the danger. Hiccup ran to the exit and stood by Toothless, making sure all the dragons were out. A few beams of wood fell in front of a stable door, trapping a Night Terror.

Toothless roared at his rider, urging him to come on. Hiccup waved his hand dismissively at Toothless. "Go ahead bud, I'll be out in a minute!" Toothless roared in protest, but went to wait outside.

Hiccup ran to the trapped Night Terror and moved the wood out of the way. "Come on, come on!" He opened the stable door and let the Night Terror fly out. A tremor shook the whole building, making Hiccup stumble. He ran after the little dragon and headed to the exit. Toothless roared at him encouragingly, urging him to hurry. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck the floor in front of him. His eyes widened in fear and his pupils contracted, until they were small specks of black surrounded by forest green. "AGH!" He yelled in panic. The blast threw him backwards into the floor. His head impacted with the floor. Without his permission, Hiccup's eyes slid closed.


	2. Is This a Joke?

**Hey there hi there ho there! (we're as happy as can be, E) *clears throat* sorry.**

 **I'm back with another chapter! Who's ready? *crickets* You guys are no fun.**

 **This chapter is about 1,000 words longer than last one! WHAAAAT *gasps***

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **animalsarepeopletoo: Aw, thanks! *blushes* I'm more of an EVIL genius *cackles* There will be more cliffhangers!**

 **thepurplewriter333: Yay! Thanks! I'm glad you like it!**

 **Foxxlight: Me too! I'm gonna start a new story soon for requested HTTYD what-ifs, so check that out!**

 **Flopy: ... YOU'LL HAVE TO SEE! *cackles***

 **Now, ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own HTTYD**

 **WARNING: Contains RTTE Season 4 Spoilers**

* * *

"UGH, I can't believe that muttonhead!" grumbled Astrid. She glared at the twins and Snotlout. "You three, stay here."

"Who put you in charge of us?" Snotlout crossed his arms and glared accusingly at Astrid.

Astrid groaned and rolled her eyes. "Just DO IT."

"Wait, you don't mean you're going after him?" asked Fishlegs timidly. "It's very dangerous to go outside during a thunderstorm, and we really don't need any extra riders out-"

"I just have a feeling. Fishlegs, watch them, make sure they don't do anything they aren't supposed to." Astrid glared at the trio and they shrunk back fearfully.

"Good luck!"

Astrid waved her hand dismissively at Fishlegs and ran out the door.

* * *

"That muttonhead needs to quit worrying about me so much." Grumbled Astrid as she stomped towards the zipline. She grabbed hold of the handles and pushed herself forward. "Astrid, are you sure you're alright?" she mimicked in a high pitched nasally voice. "Astrid, don't work too hard! Astrid, don't hurt yourself!" she jumped off the zipline and rolled, landing on her knee. "Astrid, I-" she was cut off by a flash of lightning way too close for her liking.

Astrid got up and ran towards the stable doors, but was stopped by a flash of lightning right in front of the entrance. She skidded in her tracks and watched the dragons fly off-including Stormfly. "Stormfly! Come back girl!" she yelled desperately. Astrid watched sadly as her dragon flew away. _She'll come back.. right?_ She thought.

"AGH!" Astrid's eyes widened in fear when she recognized that scream.

"HICCUP!" Astrid ran inside and found Hiccup lying on his back, eyes closed and covered in soot. She knelt next to him and shook his arm. "Hiccup! Hiccup wake up!" He didn't move. _Oh Thor, this is bad.._ thought Astrid. She knelt behind Hiccup and grabbed his arms, attempting to lift him up. _He's heavier than he looks.._

Suddenly, a beam fell and headed directly towards their heads. Astrid covered Hiccup protectively and flinched, waiting for the impact. When it never came, she glanced up and saw Toothless run over to them. The building shook and Astrid remembered she was in a building that was about to collapse. She jumped up and grabbed one of Hiccup's arms, dragging him out of the stable. Toothless followed and looked around for more falling beams.

Once they were safely outside, Astrid laid Hiccup down again. Toothless ran up and cooed, sniffing his rider worriedly. He nudged Hiccup's limp hand, trying to get him to respond. He remained motionless. "Thanks Toothless," Astrid patted the black dragon's head. "How come you didn't fly away?" He swung his tail around and showed Astrid his tail, which didn't have a fin. Astrid face-palmed mentally. _Stupid! Of course he couldn't fly away, he doesn't have a tail!_

"Sorry Toothless," she grinned apologetically. "I need to get Hiccup back to the clubhouse, can you help?" Toothless nodded energetically and turned, showing his back to Astrid. She grabbed Hiccup's arms and hauled him onto his dragon, grunting from the effort. She draped him over Toothless' back and climbed on behind him. "Okay Toothless, take us to the clubhouse!"

Toothless leapt forward and ran up one of the ramps that led to the clubhouse, while Astrid held on tightly to both the saddle and Hiccup. _Muttonhead… If only I went instead of him._ Astrid sighed and looked down at her friend's soot-covered face.

* * *

The black dragon warbled and slowed down, signifying they were at the clubhouse. Astrid jumped down and led Toothless inside, who still had Hiccup draped over him.

Fishlegs ran up to Astrid and Toothless. "Astrid! Where's Hiccup?"

She motioned with her hand at Toothless. "Right there."

Fishlegs gasped and ran over to Hiccup. "Is he okay?" He poked Hiccup's arm and looked over him worriedly.

Astrid swatted Fishlegs' hand away and glared at him. "I don't know. Snotlout, get me a pillow."

Snotlout, who was watching nervously, jumped up and ruffled through a trunk, pulling out a pillow. "Got it!" He placed it down on the floor and walked over to them.

Astrid grunted and lifted Hiccup's torso off Toothless' back, and Fishlegs grabbed his legs. They laid him gently on the floor, resting his head on the pillow. Everyone crowded around their leader, while Astrid knelt in front of him.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Fishlegs asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Astrid answered, looking down at Hiccup. "I found him like this. The whole place was collapsing!"

"What about my Hookfang?" Snotlout asked nervously. "Did you see him?"

"Speaking of wayward dragons," Tuff said. "Did anyone happen to see one Barf and Belch?"

"They got spooked by the storm and flew off, including Stormfly, but I'm sure they're okay," Astrid said. "Right now we should worry about Hiccup."

"Sure! Toothless is right here, so everything is PEACHY for Hiccup right now!" Snotlout exclaimed sarcastically.

Both Astrid and Toothless glared at Snotlout. "Does he LOOK peachy right now to you, Snotlout?"

He held up his hands defensively. "Just an observation."

Astrid looked down at Hiccup again, who moved his head to the side and groaned. "Everybody hush!" she whisper-yelled. She watched him open his eyes, which's pupils were tiny dots of black. The rest of the gang watched anxiously.

"Toothless? Guys?" Astrid watched him look around, moving his eyes frantically.

"We're right here Hiccup. See us?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes and glared at the ceiling. "It's kind of hard for me to see you when you don't have any kind of light in here." He sat up and looked around. "Did you guys suddenly develop echolocation or something?"

Astrid rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "No, we didn't develop echolocation. And what are you talking about? We have plenty of lights in here."

"Oh, hardee-har har. You guys are hilarious, really." He stood up and held out his hands. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"Hiccup, we're not playing a joke on you. What are you talking about?" Astrid furrowed her eyebrows. _What is going on?_

"Give it up guys, you win! Good joke! Toothless, plasma blast the fire pit?" He felt around with his hands and nearly tripped over a chair. Astrid held out her hands reflexively, preparing to catch him in case he fell.

Toothless snorted and sent a small plasma blast at the fire pit, making it glow brighter. Hiccup looked in the direction of Toothless and crossed his arms. "Not you too bud. This isn't funny guys!"

Astrid's eyes widened. _Is he… blind?_ Astrid stood up and placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Guys, can I talk to him? Alone?"

Everyone started muttering things about blindness and jokes, but went to the far corner of the clubhouse. Astrid watched them go, then grabbed Hiccup's hand. He flinched and blushed, looking anywhere but at her. _Typical Hiccup,_ thought Astrid with a smirk. She led him to sit on the bench in front of the fire pit.

"What's going on? Why can't I see anything?" Astrid noticed Hiccup was starting to panic. She placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Are you playing a joke on me?"

"Hiccup…" she said slowly. "I think you're blind."

"B-b-blind?" he stuttered and his eyes widened. "N-no, I can't be blind! You guys are playing a sick joke on me, that's it. You guys thought it'd be funny to make me think I'm blind, well it's not funny anymore!" He raised his voice and yelled, "You hear that guys? This isn't funny! Ruff, Tuff, you're on stable duty when the storms clear up!"

"Hey, we're not playing a prank on you! Don't go and blame us!" Ruff yelled indignantly.

Hiccup's eyes widened even more, and he clenched his fists. "You mean this isn't a joke?" he whispered fearfully.

Astrid nodded sadly, then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yeah.. you're blind. I'm sure it's only temporary-"

"No no no no no no," Hiccup stood up suddenly and started pacing. "You're wrong! I can't be blind! How am I supposed to be chief? How am I supposed to run the Edge? How am I supposed to fly Toothless? How am I supposed to-" Astrid stopped him by putting her hand over his mouth.

"Hiccup, calm down. We'll figure it out, okay? Remember when Bucket lost his sight? He got it back!" she attempted to reassure him.

"Yeah, and now he wears a metal bucket on his head," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

 _How am I supposed to reply to that?_ "True.. but at least he got it back, right?"

"No, NOT right! I don't want to have to wear a metal bucket on my head!" he waved his hands around wildly.

"Hiccup-"

"No, it's fine. It's the end of the world, I just can't SEE for the rest of my life!" he dug his hands into his hair and tugged. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Thanks for trying to reassure me, I appreciate it. It-it's just going to take a while to get used to."

Astrid grabbed his hand again and squeezed it. "You'll figure it out. You always do, you're Hiccup!"

He laughed sarcastically and said, "Yeah, and look how much good that's done me so far." Astrid didn't know how to reply to that.

"Well… when there's a break in the storm, we'll fly to Berk and see Gothi. Right now though, you need to go to sleep."

Hiccup suddenly froze. "The dragons. Where are they? Did they all make it out okay?"

Astrid suddenly remembered Stormfly and facepalmed. _Oh Thor, can this get any worse?_ "Um.. they got spooked and flew away." She flinched and prepared for Hiccup's next outburst.

"WHAT?" he yelled. "They flew away? Oh Thor, can this get any worse?" Astrid held back a laugh at his quoting her exact thoughts.

"Don't worry about that right now, you need to rest." She pulled him down and helped him lay on the pillow. "I'll stay with you."

Suddenly, his face turned bright red. "Uh- y-you don't have to do t-that, I-I'm okay. T-toothless can stay w-with me, r-right bud?" Toothless snorted and sat down, nodding.

"Nope, I'm staying with you. No changing my mind." Astrid plopped down and sat cross legged next to him, grabbing his hand again. She could've sworn she saw his face turn even redder.

"F-fine." He shivered. Toothless curled himself around both Astrid and Hiccup. Astrid watched Hiccup close his eyes and smiled fondly at him. _He'll be okay. He's Hiccup._

* * *

Meanwhile, a figure could be seen exiting a boat. He stepped out and adjusted his armor. He bared his teeth at the landscape before him. _Dragon's Edge._ He chuckled to himself. _I'm coming for you Hiccup._

* * *

 **OOOOH, WHO'S THE EVIL GUY? Please review and tell me what you think! UNTIL NEXT TIME! *cackles***


	3. Shut Up, Astrid

**Hey guys! Katurdi's back! *pumps fists in air* Who's ready for Chapter 3?! *crickets* Well, TOO BAD. YOU'RE GETTING IT ANYWAY.**

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **animalsarepeopletoo: I totally agree! I made the first chapter shorter just to get a feel of writing FanFiction, and to see if anyone would like it. And YOU WILL HAVE TO SEE! *cackles and rubs hands together***

 **thepurplewriter333: Aw, thanks! YOU'LL HAVE TO SEE!**

 **harrypanther: Thanks! That's what I was going for! I figured since Hiccup was WAY more sarcastic it would be a lot different.**

 **Musical Ninja: Me too! I started a one-shot series solely for what-ifs. Check it out if you want! And you're right, you'll have to find out!**

 **FanWriter02: Thanks! That means a lot, since you're one of my FAVORITE authors! *squeals* Yes, thepurplewriter333 is EVIL. *glares at purple***

 **Penderson: ... I'm not sure how to respond to that. Thanks? (BTW, THIS WEIRDO IS MY BROTHER.)**

 **Now, ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

"Okay. Thorston blind field test, numero uno." Tuff stood in front of Hiccup with narrowed eyes. "Who is standing right in front of you?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Although he couldn't see, he could easily _hear_ that is was Tuffnut's voice. "Tuff, I know it's you." He said sarcastically.

Hiccup heard Tuff gasp and jump up, raising his arms in triumph. "He got it! He's fine everybody. _Ugh,_ thank Thor!" he heard him walk away, sighing. "Phew, that was a close one."

Hiccup sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Not that it mattered whether or not he closed his eyes, because he couldn't _see_ either way. "Guys, we shouldn't worry about me right now! We need to find the dragons! They're still out there and are probably scared out of their minds."

"Wait a minute," Tuff interjected. "Why do _you_ care? Toothless is right here!" he gasped "Or _is_ he? He could be a figment of my imagination!" Hiccup heard Tuff walk up to Toothless, who was sitting near the door of the clubhouse. "Are you real? Or are you a ghost?" Tuff patted the black dragon's neck and gasped. " _Wow,_ I must have a really good imagination!"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes and turned in the direction of Tuff's voice, crossing his arms. "Tuff, I'm pretty sure he's there."

"How do _you_ know that? I thought you were blind!" Tuff gasped. "Are _you_ playing a joke on us? Very clever Hiccup, but you can't fool me! We all know you're not blind!"

Hiccup groaned and face-palmed, and he was pretty sure he heard several other face-palms. "Tuff, I'm pretty sure he's blind. Why would he lie about that?" Astrid's voice.

"Um… I don't know. Why _would_ you lie about that, Hiccup?"

Hiccup sighed angrily and clenched his fists. " _Tuff,_ I'm. Not. Lying! Would you _please_ just shut your mouth for five minutes?"

"Uh.. how long is five minutes?" Everyone minus Tuffnut groaned. "What?"

" _Anyway,_ " Astrid's voice said. "I think Hiccup has a point. We need to find our dragons. I can't imagine how scared Stormfly is right now. We need to round them up before the next storm hits."

Hiccup nodded in the direction of Astrid's voice. "Right. Toothless and I can help! We can cover more ground that way-"

" _No way,_ Hiccup. You can't go out there like this! I'll take Toothless and go look for Stormfly."

Hiccup crossed his arms and glared at what he assumed was Astrid. "And leave me here alone? No way! Besides, you can't fly Toothless."

"Neither can you!" Hiccup could _feel_ Astrid's glare on him. "I-I'll figure it out."

" _Astrid,"_ He groaned. "I'm going with you."

"Sorry, not an option." _Gods, why is she so_ stubborn? He thought.

"Listen, I'm more effective blind than some riders, who shall remain nameless, that are fully sighted." He said while glaring in Ruff and Tuff's direction.

"Is he looking at us?" Tuff's voice sounded slightly hurt.

"He can't see. Hence, he cannot actually look. So, no." Ruff said.

"Hiccup, there is no way you are flying in your condition. How are you supposed to work Toothless' tail fin?" Astrid said accusingly.

" _Please,_ I could fly Toothless with my eyes closed! Which is lucky, because it looks like my eyes are closed all the time anyway… It'll be a piece of cake!"

"It will _not_ be a piece of cake, Hiccup. It would be more like a piece of two week old bread- barely edible."

"Yeah, but it _is_ edible."

" _HICCUP!"_

 _"_ _Astrid,_ I am going. You can't stop me! As leader, I am putting my foot down." He crossed his arms and stood resolutely, tilting his chin upwards.

Astrid threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine! Be a muttonhead, then! I'm flying with you two, though. _Someone_ has to be your eyes."

Hiccup grinned and placed his hands on his hips. "Great! To the skies!" He turned and walked towards Toothless, but ended up bumping into the wall. He rubbed his head and held out his other hand, feeling the air for Toothless. When he finally found his dragon, he grabbed onto one of the saddle straps. Toothless grunted and walked out the door, while Hiccup followed blindly by holding on to the strap.

He vaguely heard Tuff, Ruff, and Astrid walking out the doors behind him. He stopped near the center of the platform, feeling around for the stirrups. "Need any help?" Astrid's voice asked from behind him.

"Nope, I'm good." He waved his hand dismissively behind him. "Go tell Snotlout and Fishlegs what we're doing!"

He heard Astrid mutter something and stomp off, but he was too focused on trying to get in the saddle to pay attention to what she said. "Okay, um, how about this…" He tried stepping into the stirrup, but ended up stepping on empty air. "UGH, um, let's try this…"

* * *

"Stupid muttonhead… He's too stubborn for his own good." Astrid stomped down the ramps towards the stables, which Snotlout and Fishlegs were working repairing. "Why'd he have to lose his sight? Thor, why did I say he could come?"

Astrid stomped towards Fishlegs and Snotlout, who were busy lifting one of the doors of the stables. "Snotlout! Fishlegs! We're going to go search for our dragons."

"YES!" Snotlout threw down the door and sighed dramatically. "I am _sick_ of working. I'm coming for you, Hookie!" He ran down the ramp, screaming random nonsense. Astrid shook her head and sighed, rubbing the side of her head with her hand.

"Are you going too, Fishlegs?"

"Of course I am!" Fishlegs yelled, shocked. "I'd never leave my Meatlug out there all alone! Don't worry Meatlug, daddy's coming!" Fishlegs too ran down the ramp with his hands held high.

Astrid rolled her eyes and turned around, starting to walk back up the ramp. _I wonder if the others have left yet?_ She thought. _Hiccup better not have taken off without me._

* * *

When Astrid finally reached the top of the ramp and could see the clubhouse, she had to stop to take in what was in front of her. Hiccup was draped over Toothless sideways, stomach down, facing her. Toothless warbled and spun in circles, trying to see his rider. "Bud! Could you-stop! Stop spinning! P-please!" Toothless stopped spinning for half a second, then resumed his spinning. He tried craning his neck backwards, but ended up falling on his side. The good news, the dragon seemed fine. The bad news, Hiccup was stuck underneath him. He seemed to have had the wind knocked out of him, and laid there blinking dazedly.

Astrid couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. She stood there clutching her sides, trying to regain control of herself. Hiccup seemed to come to his senses and scowled, trying to shove Toothless off of him. "Haha, laugh it up already. I'm glad you think it's funny that a scrawny, blind guy is stuck under a dragon that weighs nearly a ton!" he yelled sarcastically. Astrid had to shove her fist into her mouth to stop her giggles. "T-toothless, get off bud!" Hiccup shoved the dragon again, who grumbled and rolled lazily off his rider. Hiccup laid there for a moment, gasping for air.

"N-need some help?" Astrid managed to stutter our once her laughs subsided. She didn't wait for his answer and walked over, hauling him to his feet.

He swayed for a minute, trying to regain his senses. He shook his head and blinked, and Astrid just remembered that he was blind. She frowned and examined his eyes, which were weirdly contracted. _Does everyone's eyes do that when they go blind?_ She wondered. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Hiccup was talking to her. "What?" she replied stupidly.

Hiccup's cheeks flushed pink. "I said do you mind helping me get on Toothless? He doesn't seem to want to stay still." Astrid could tell he didn't want to admit his weakness, and she grinned. _Typical Hiccup._

"Sure. Toothless, come here." The black dragon lazily got up from his spot on the ground and ambled over to them warbling. "Come on, we've got to help Hiccup get in the saddle. Can you help me out?" He nodded eagerly and walked up next to Hiccup, showing him his back.

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's hand and led him to Toothless, placing his hand on the saddle. She noticed that his cheeks were an even darker shade of red and smiled to herself. _Why is he blushing like that?_ "Okay, stand on your prosthetic. I'm going to guide your other leg to the stirrup, okay?" she saw him nod once and shift all his weight on his prosthetic, wincing slightly.

She knelt and took hold of his boot, leading it to the stirrup. Once it was securely in, she stood and patted his shoulder. "Can you do the rest?" she asked him.

"Y-yeah, thanks Astrid." He grabbed hold of one of the handles and hoisted himself up on the saddle. He clicked his prosthetic in and moved it, testing Toothless' fin. "Sounds okay," she heard him mutter.

Astrid grabbed hold of the saddle and hoisted herself up behind Hiccup, wrapping her arms around his waist- to make sure she didn't fall off, nothing more. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." He shifted his prosthetic and opened the tail fin in the right position. "Ready bud?"

Toothless warbled and spread his wings, then took off with two powerful flaps. Astrid noticed Hiccup's knuckles were white on the handles of the saddle. "You okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, it's just kind of weird flying without being able to see… which way are we going, exactly?"

"Turn right, when the dragons were spooked they flew into the forest." Hiccup nodded once and shifted the prosthetic, accidentally making Toothless dip suddenly. "AGH!" Astrid shrieked and tightened her hold on Hiccup.

"Sorry!" he yelled, then changed the position again. This time, Toothless turned right and started flying towards the forest.

"Not much of a piece of cake, now is it?" Astrid asked while smiling smugly.

"Shut up Astrid." Hiccup muttered under his breath, and Astrid grinned wider.

* * *

The man trudged through the forest and moved aside a large branch. Ahead of him lay Dragon's Edge in its full glory. He smirked to himself, looking at the outpost. His musings were interrupted by a loud shriek above him. He frowned and looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun. He could see the Night Fury and the boy he was after flying shakily. "Sorry!" he heard him yell. He just then noticed someone else was in the saddle: a girl. He growled to himself, watching them fly directly overhead and head over the woods. He turned and trudged back in the direction he came, after the black dragon.

 ***gasp* TWO UPDATES IN ONE DAY? AMAZING. Which would you guys prefer me to update tomorrow: WLGYL or a new What-If? Tell me in the review section!**


	4. Always

**Hey guys, katurdi's back for another chapter! *pumps fists in air and dances on top of table* I am SO sorry for not updating yesterday. I'm actually on vacation right now, so I can't update as much as I'd like..**

 **Thepurplewriter333, animalsarepeopletoo and I made a community called "Guestbusters" (inside joke) CHECK IT OUT!**

 **Oh my Thor, WLGYL has gotten over a thousand views in less than 5 days! *squeals* WOW. This chapter is barely the longest, at 2,220 words!**

 **ALSO, if you guys were wondering why I always say "*cackles,*" it's because I never laugh. I only cackle. *cackles***

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **Foxxlight: Thanks! That's what I was going for! *cackles***

 **thepurplewriter333: YAYY! *jumps up and down***

 **FanWriter02: Thanks! Personally, Tuff is the hardest to portray since he's so unpredictable... I think I did okay though.**

 **SailorMew4: That's for me to know and you to find out! *cackles***

 **animalsarepeopletoo: YES I CAN, AND I WILL! *laughs evilly* (I figured I needed to say something other than "cackles"...) Thanks!**

 **PKWolf014: YAY! I'm so glad you like it! And as for your guess, you'll have to see! *cackles and chokes on a bug***

 **This chapter is mainly going to be of what the rest of the gang are doing. Next chapter, I'll start adding my PERSONAL twist, if you know what I mean. *cackles and rubs hands together* Now, ONTO THE STORY!**

* * *

"Hiccup, land there." Astrid pointed down, at a clearing next to a stream. _We can follow that river to find Stormfly! She's probably on her way back to the Edge right now._

"Um.. Astrid?" Hiccup asked in an inquisitive tone.

"What?" She snapped, and realized it came out harsher than she meant for it to.

"Uh-um, where _exactly_ is 'there?' I can't exactly see where you're pointing…"

Astrid froze, eyes wide. _Did I seriously forget he's blind?_ She covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh gods, Hiccup- I'm so sorry! Honestly, I completely forgot you're blind."

She peered over his shoulder and caught him rolling his eyes. "I wish I could do the same thing." He muttered. Astrid winced at his tone.

"Sorry." She said again, lamely.

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Can you describe where 'there' is?"

"To the left and down about fifty feet." He nodded curtly and changed the position of Toothless' tailfin. The black dragon swerved and dove swiftly, landing softly in the clearing. Astrid released her hold on Hiccup and hopped off of the saddle and onto the ground, dusting herself off. She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Stormfly?" She yelled. "Stormfly, come here girl!" She walked forwards and looked around for her dragon.

Astrid heard Hiccup jump off of Toothless behind her. "What makes you so sure Stormfly is going to be here?" he asked. "Thor, where _is_ here?"

"We're in a clearing near the Edge. It's got a river and a cliff." She answered him, still looking around for her dragon.

"Oh, _that_ clearing. You know, I'd think that if the dragons were scared by that bolt of lightning.." Hiccup paused and shivered, closing his eyes for a second. Astrid knew what he was about to say: _that bolt of lighting that blinded me._ Astrid herself cringed at the memory. _Being stopped by the bolt of lightning, running inside and finding Hiccup lying on the ground, covered in soot… motionless…_ Astrid was snapped out of her disturbing thoughts when Hiccup cleared his throat. "I think that as jittery as they were, they would have flown as far away from the storm as possible. I bet the other dragons are hiding somewhere in a cave right now."

"Not Stormfly. I know my dragon, she's more worried about me than she is about herself. That means she would be trying to find her way _back_ to the Edge, upstream. That's why I asked you to stop here, so we could follow the river."

"Well, you know your dragon, I suppose." Hiccup shrugged. "The river is this way?" he started walking forwards with his arms held out.

Astrid glanced down and noticed that he was heading directly towards a rock. "Hiccup, look out!" _How could he look out? He can't_ see. Astrid mentally facepalmed. Hiccup tripped over the rock, letting out a small shriek. She leapt forwards and caught his head with her hands, preparing to cushion his fall. They both yelled and landed with a _thump._ Astrid pushed herself up and looked down.

Her face turned bright red when she realized the position they were in. Hiccup was pinned beneath her with her hands on either side of his head. _Oh gods._ "Ah-uh-are you o-okay?" she managed to stutter out.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he seemed to realize what position they were in. "Uh, I'm f-fine!" his cheeks flushed pink as he blinked up at her, apparently attempting to make eye contact. "W-we should probably get going."

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, that's what I was going to-um.." Astrid climbed off of Hiccup and grabbed his hands, pulling him up. She smiled nervously at him and tried to get rid of the burning in her cheeks. _Stupid, he can't even see if you're blushing or not._ She gave up on trying to stop blushing, judging it as a lost cause.

Suddenly, Hiccup twitched and jerked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. "Did you hear that?"

Astrid furrowed her eyebrows. "Hear what?"

Hiccup held up his hand and listened more. "I think something is stalking us.." Toothless noticed his rider's distress and leapt forward, growling.

Astrid closed her eyes and listened as well. _That sounds familiar.._ she heard a squawk. Astrid's eyes flew open and she grinned widely. "Hiccup, it's Stormfly!"

Stormfly came into view on a cliff above them, squawking joyfully. She fluttered her wings and looked down at them. " _Oh!_ I knew that sound was familiar!" Hiccup said, who Astrid noticed was also smiling.

Stormfly flew down and nuzzled her rider. Astrid laughed joyfully and hugged her dragon's head. "I knew you'd come, girl!" Stormfly squawked and rubbed her head against Astrid's cheek. Suddenly, Stormfly looked up, pupils contracted into slits. "What's wrong, Stormfly? What is it girl?" Stormfly squawked and fluttered her wings threateningly.

Hiccup gasped and held out his arms. "Astrid, above you! The Triple Stryke-" he was cut off by a loud roar. Astrid glanced up and also gasped. The Triple Stryke was on a cliff high above her, waving its tail. It jumped and flipped off the cliff, landing in front of Astrid and Hiccup.

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's arm and pulled him away from the Triple Stryke. Toothless shot a plasma blast at the Triple Stryke's feet, while Stormfly roared angrily. The Triple Stryke flew up and hovered above the pair of dragons, roaring threateningly.

Astrid noticed Hiccup was standing in the middle of the clearing, looking around wildly. "Astrid..?" He yelled frantically.

"Hiccup! There's a pile of rocks about ten feet to your left. Hide behind it-"

" _What?_ I'm not gonna _hide!_ Toothless!" He ran in the direction of the battle.

Astrid facepalmed. "Of course he wasn't gonna hide! What was I thinking? He's Hiccup." Astrid raced after him, running towards her dragon.

Hiccup reached his dragon and held out his hands, trying to get on the dragon. Toothless spun in a circle, not allowing his rider to climb on. "Toothless, stay still bud! Don't you see I'm trying to-" Toothless picked Hiccup up with his mouth and bounded over to the rock pile Astrid described, dropping the boy there. " _Toothless!_ Get back here, you useless reptile!" The dragon turned and stuck out his tongue, then turned back around and ran back to the Triple Stryke.

Hiccup groaned and got up, walking back towards his dragon. Astrid, who was on Stormfly, shrieked when she saw the Triple Stryke bearing down on him. _Really, Hiccup?_ Stormfly flew over to him and picked him up, placing him back behind the rocks. "Hiccup, _stay!_ " Astrid yelled.

She caught a glimpse of him rolling his eyes. " _Astrid,_ let me help!"

"No way! Stay there, or I'll take your leg!" she directed Stormfly in the direction of the fight, but was knocked off by the incoming Triple Stryke. Astrid landed and groaned, rubbing her head. Stormfly landed behind her, squawking madly.

Hiccup stood and grinned smugly at her. "Admit it, you need my help! Toothless, come here bud."

Toothless growled at Hiccup and sat down resolutely, pointedly ignoring his rider. "He's not coming, he agrees that you need to _stay put._ You are not fighting in your condition." The dragons growled and turned to the Triple Stryke, who was waving his tail at them. "Besides, I can't fight this guy if all I'm doing is worrying about you!"

Hiccup groaned. "Ugh, _fine!_ You don't want my help? Great. See how well you do without me!" he yelled sarcastically, then sat down against the rock hugging his knees.

Astrid nodded her head in satisfaction, then mounted Stormfly again. She directed her dragon to fly around the Triple Stryke. "Stormfly, spine shot!" Stormfly launched several spines at the Triple Stryke's feet, then flew a couple yards away. "Toothless, plasma blast!" Toothless bounded forward and shot a few plasma blasts at the Triple Stryke. The dragon wailed and cowered, turning to run back into the forest.

Astrid sighed and looked down at Hiccup, who was pulling at his hair angrily. She frowned and landed Stormfly, jumping off and onto the ground. "Okay, let's mount up and head back to the Edge before it comes back."

Hiccup stood and walked past Astrid, bumping into her shoulder angrily. "Yeah, okay. Fine. Let's go." He walked past Toothless and over to Stormfly, standing in front of her.

"Uh, Hiccup? That's Stormfly. Don't you need to fly Toothless?"

"Oh, yeah sure. I think he's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want me riding him!" He shot a glare at his dragon, who shrunk back and flattened his ears, warbling sadly.

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, he was just protecting you. Obviously he knows that something is wrong with you, and didn't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah, right. Thank you for summing that up." He turned to face her, crossing his arms. " _Obviously_ he knows that something is _wrong_ with me, and thinks I'm _incapable_ of fighting."

Astrid narrowed her eyes, also crossing her arms. "You know what I mean. Of course you're capable of fighting, you just have a slight… disadvantage right now."

He chucked wryly, then walked past Astrid. "I don't think I've ever heard someone describe being blind as a _disadvantage_ before. Having a metal leg? _That's_ a disadvantage."

Astrid grabbed his arm and stopped him, sighing sadly. "Hiccup, obviously I can't imagine what you're going through. You're _Hiccup._ You're our leader! You're smart and invincible."

He rolled his eyes and smirked, turning to face her. "Do I _look_ invincible to you right now? Do I _look_ like your usual capable, strong leader?" his sarcastic smirk turned into a sad frown. "What if this is it? What if the rest of my life is spent like _this?_ I can't run the village or the Edge blind.."

"Then we'll deal with it. Just because you're blind doesn't mean you're helpless." Hiccup snorted, but didn't reply. "Hiccup, you and I have been through everything together. You don't think we can handle this?" She grabbed both of his hands and squeezed them reassuringly." Hiccup, you have me, no matter what. Okay, whatever that means, whatever you want it to mean. I am with you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always." _Gods, that was so cheesy. Since when did I get so sappy?_ She thought.

Hiccup blinked at her, smiling slightly. She thought for a second, then leant forwards to kiss him-for reassurance, nothing else. But before she could do it, Hiccup's head jerked to the side, eyes widened. "Did you hear that?"

Astrid froze and looked in the direction he was looking in. "Hear what? I don't hear anything."

He looked at the ground, eyes narrowed. "There it is again." He froze and widened his eyes. "Behind you!"

The Triple Stryke somersaulted and landed where they were standing less than a second ago. Astrid had grabbed Hiccup and thrown them both to the ground, sliding away from the dragon. "Alright, this guy has to go. _Now!"_

Stormfly and Toothless shot their fire at the dragon, who roared and flew up. It landed on a cliff, raising its tail. Astrid and Hiccup pushed themselves up, and looked in the direction of the black and yellow dragon. Or, Astrid did. Hiccup just turned his head. _Shut up, Astrid._ She facepalmed mentally. "Toothless, distress signal!" she yelled.

Toothless looked up and let loose a plasma blast in the sky, making a large boom.

* * *

The man looked up when he heard a loud _boom._ He saw a purple ring spread outwards through the sky. _Night fury._ He chucked to himself. _Where the Night Fury is, the boy is too._ He walked towards the blast, which was only a few hundred feet from where he was.

 **Does that count as a cliffhanger? I'm not really sure. NEXT CHAPTER, there will be a MAJOR cliffhanger. Just a warning! *grins evilly* UNTIL THEN!**


	5. Where's Hiccup?

**HEY GUYS! *waves happily* katurdi's BACK! Just a warning, things start picking up this chapter. *grins evilly and rubs hands together* WLGL has gotten 1,700 views. WOAH! Anyways, SHOUTOUT TIME!**

 **SHOUTOUTS**

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 **Phieillydinyia: sort of, the beginning is. Things are changing this chapter, though! HAHA, I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO NOTICE THAT! I figured Hiccup would ask for Toothless first, since they've got a special bond.**

 **Now, ON TO CHAPTER 5!**

* * *

"Meatlug!" Fishlegs trudged through the forest, glancing left and right frantically. "Here girl, here Meaty!" He held up a large sand-colored stone with both of his hands. "I've got some nice Boxite!"

He heard rustling somewhere next to him and turned excitedly, throwing down the Boxite. "Meatlug? Meatlug, is that you?" Fishlegs ran in the direction of the rustling, yelling "Don't move! Daddy's on his way!" He ran forwards with his arms open wide, smiling excitedly.

Fishlegs skidded in his tracks and stopped, letting his arms fall back to his side. He scowled. "Oh, it's you." In front of him, Hookfang paced back and forth nervously. The red dragon looked at Fishlegs after he said that, as if saying _what do you mean, it's "just me?"_ He then growled angrily and crouched, like he remembered he should be angry.

Fishlegs winced. "Oh, sorry Hooky! I didn't mean it like that, it's just that-" He froze when he heard the rumble of thunder. He grinned nervously and waved his hand dismissively, saying "Oh, never mind. Let's just get you back to the Edge, right?" Fishlegs walked towards Hookfang, who growled and lowered his head.

Suddenly, a flash of lighting lit up the sky behind them. Hookfang's pupils contracted into slits and he flew into the air, setting himself on fire. Fishlegs winced and looked up at Hookfang nervously. "And I finally know what it's like to be Snotlout." He walked forwards a few steps, towards the startled dragon. "Okay! Okay, you're upset and scared, but everything is going to be fine." He held out his hand towards Hookfang, but was immediately swatted away with his giant red tail.

Fishlegs, who was slumped upside down against a tree, shook his head dazedly. "Now I really know what it's like to be Snotlout.." he coughed painfully.

Fishlegs slowly righted himself, then approached the frightened dragon once again. "Okay, let's try this again." He muttered to himself. Hookfang landed and approached Fishlegs slowly, leaning out to sniff his hand. "That's it, good Hooky!"

Hookfang bit at the place Fishlegs' hand was a second before. "AAAGH!" Fishlegs ran from the freshly lit-on-fire Nightmare. "HOOKFAAAAANG!" he screamed, while the dragon chased after him.

* * *

Ruffnut walked before Tuffnut, with a smug expression on her face. Tuff had a bag over his head and was walking with his arms out, trying to feel his way around. "Uh, why am I doing this again?" he asked.

"We are now living with a blind person, Tuffnut, and I think we owe it to _him_ to offer our services as seeing-eye Vikings." Ruff turned to her brother and grinned, placing her arms behind her back.

"Got it," Tuff said. "Wait, who's playing Hiccup?"

"Can you see?"

"Not a glimpse. Total darkness over here." He replied.

"Then you, my friend, are Hiccup." Ruff grinned and stopped several yards away from Tuff. "Now, come to the sound of my voice."

Tuff made zombie-like noises and clawed at the air, walking forwards slowly. "Good, good, okay, a little faster." Ruff yelled. Tuff started running towards Ruff with his arms held out. "Come on! Let's put some muscle into it."

Tuff ran at full speed and pumped his arms. "How's that?" he yelled.

"You're doing great!" Ruff yelled. "Just a little further!" She then donned her well-known evil smile, which Tuff, luckily for her and bad for him, couldn't see.

Tuff started laughing and ran slightly faster, straight at Ruff. At the last moment, Ruff stepped aside. Tuff ended up running straight off a cliff. "AAAAGH!" He landed with a loud _thump._

Ruffnut cackled to herself and looked over the edge. "Hey! You okay down there?"

"Nice work, sis! I think we landed on something!" Meatlug looked up momentarily from munching on rocks, then went back to ignoring the rider who landed on her back.

Eventually, Ruff climbed to the bottom of the cliff, where Tuff was attempting to make Meatlug move. "Pull harder!" He yelled, and pushed on Meatlug's side. Ruff pulled on her tail, but the still eating Gronkle refused to budge.

"Do you want me to pull her tail off?" Ruff asked incredulously.

Tuff thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, we'd never be able to explain that to Fishlegs."

Ruff groaned and stomped her feet. "What is _wrong_ with her?"

Tuff stopped pushing on Meatlug and held up his finger. "Remember when Fishlegs said that she eats when she's under stress?"

Meatlug suddenly straightened and screwed up her face. A rumbling noise came from her, and she gagged. "Oh no, she's gonna blow!" Both Ruff and Tuff screamed and jumped out of the way, just before Meatlug let loose a stream of lava.

* * *

Snotlout groaned and grumbled to himself. "I can't believe this stupid dragon! Out here in the middle of nowhere." He stopped and waved his arms angrily in the air "HOOKFANG!" he yelled. "Get over here NOW!" he stopped and looked to the side when he heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like one of their dragons. Snotlout grinned to himself and dusted off his hands. "See that Hiccup, _that's_ the way you handle your dragon business." He rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Come on big guy! Bring it in for the real thing, baby." He patted his legs and held out his arms.

To say that Snotlout was surprised when Barf and Belch ran to him instead of Hookfang was an understatement. His eyes widened comically and he screamed, attempting to run away from the stampeding dragon. Barf and Belch thundered by him, knocking Snotlout over. He groaned and laid there on the ground, muttering "Stupid Hiccup."

Snotlout eventually picked himself and walked sluggishly over to Barf and Belch, who had both of their heads buried deep in the ground. "Come on, you two. You can't stay in there _forever._ " Snotlout tried tugging on their necks, but they wouldn't budge. "Fine!" he yelled frustratedly. "You won't come to me?"

Snotlout got down on his knees and started digging down with his hands. "You know what, I blame this on the twins. They let you get away with too much! Now, me and Hooky, we're like a well-oiled machine!" he grumbled while digging. He finally reached the Zippleback heads and glared at them. "All right. Let's go. Up! Whatever you two understand." Barf lazily let out his green gas, and Belch lit it.

The explosion launched Snotlout high in the air. "AAGH!" he screamed and landed in a tree on top of a hill. "Stupid Zippleback." He grumbled painfully.

* * *

Suddenly, a purple blast lit up the sky. Everyone, including the skittish dragons, looked up. One thing went through everyone's minds: _Toothless._

* * *

Tuffnut slumped. "Oh, great. Hiccup's in trouble, and Meatlug still has half the quarry to eat!"

"Nice going! You know how she feels about her weight." Meatlug growled and flapped her wings, buzzing over to the arguing twins. She picked them up in her arms, flying in the direction of the plasma blast. "AAGH!" The twins screamed.

* * *

Barf and Belch stuck their heads up and out of the sand, looking back at Snotlout. Snotlout grunted and pushed himself up, pointing angrily at the Zippleback. "All right, you two! Play time in the sand is over." He jumped off the branch and soared towards Barf and Belch. "Snotlout! Snotlout!" He landed on the ground in front of the dragon, who looked down at Snotlout questionably. "Ow, ow, ow." He grumbled.

* * *

Fishlegs, who was still running from Hookfang, skidded in his tracks and looked up. He turned to Hookfang and held out his hand, yelling "Stop!"

Hookfang skidded and stared at Fishlegs' hand with wide eyes. "Alright Hookfang, let's get something straight. I may not be Snotlout, but I _am_ a dragon rider." He pointed his finger accusingly at Hookfang. "And as such, I deserve the _respect_ of a dragon rider. Are we clear?" Hookfang's eyes widened more, then narrowed aggressively. "Uh oh.."

* * *

Meatlug flew with the twins on her back, and looked down at the Triple Stryke. The dragon was battling Stormfly and Toothless, who were still losing. Ruff peered over Meatlug. "Man, those guys are getting their butts kicked down there!"

Barf and Belch flew up behind Meatlug, with Snotlout on their back. "Where's Fish-face?"

"I haven't got a clue!" Tuff yelled.

Snotlout nodded. "Yeah, I know. But where's Fish-face?"

Tuff glared at Snotlout disapprovingly. "You really think this is the time for your stupid jokes, Snotlout?" Ruff asked, who was also glaring. "Give us our dragon back!"

Snotlout grumbled and watched the twins climb on their respective heads. He threw up his hands. "Hey, what am I supposed to do?" The twins grabbed his arms and threw him, making him land on Meatlug. He shoved back his helmet. "Great, just _perfect."_ Meatlug and the Zippleback flew down towards the battle.

* * *

Hiccup sat behind a rock, listening to what was happening. _Click click click!_ He narrowed his eyes. _That sound…_ He was concentrating so hard that he didn't hear the two dragons land. "Hiccup! Thank Thor, I need to tell you-" Hiccup stopped Snotlout's ranting by holding up his finger. _Click click click!_ He narrowed his eyes further. _There it is again…_

"Do you guys hear that? It's the same sound before every attack."

"Uh, what is he talking about?" Snotlout asked. Hiccup assumed he was talking to the twins, since Fishlegs normally would've been rambling by now.

"Uh, guys! A little help here!" Hiccup heard Astrid yell. "We need to surround it! It can't hit us all at once." _Oh, sure. She'll ask for_ their _help, but won't let me help her._ Hiccup growled and rolled his eyes.

He heard the buzz of Meatlug's wings and the flap of another set of wings- he assumed it was Barf and Belch, it was too quiet to be Hookfang's. "Coming in hot, blowing out snot!" _Typical Snotlout._ He heard the splatter of Meatlug's lava and the roar of the Triple Stryke. _That's not going to work, the Triple Stryke's hide is too thick for any fire blasts to penetrate._ He thought to himself.

He listened some more, then heard the signature Zippleback explosion. The Triple Stryke roared again. _Click click click!_

Hiccup's head shot up. _That's it!_ Before he could call out to Toothless, he felt a rough hand cover his mouth. "Don't make a sound, or I'll knock you out." A deep voice growled in his ear.

 _What the-_ Hiccup's eyes widened, and he shoved the hand away from his mouth. "Toothless!" he yelled. He heard an answering roar and an angry growl at his ear. Next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and his eyes slid shut.

* * *

Astrid growled from atop Stormfly. The Triple Stryke swung out its tail and knocked Snotlout off of Meatlug. "Meatlug!" he yelled, then landed face-first. "This is getting old." He grumbled.

Ruff and Tuff laughed. "Did you see that?" Tuff said.

"He totally _stuck the landing._ " Ruff cackled. The twins laughed, then were swiped off of their dragon by one of the Triple Stryke's tails.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I have to do _everything_ myself." She muttered. "Stormfly, spine shot!" Stormfly dove and shot three spines near the Triple Stryke's feet. The dragon roared, and Stormfly soared over its head and circled back around. "Again, Stormfly!" Stormfly squawked and shot three more. Astrid noticed that the Triple Stryke seemed to be more affected by the spine shots than the other attacks. _I wonder why?_

Astrid furrowed her eyebrows. "Spine shot again, girl." Stormfly seemed confused, but let loose three more. The Triple Stryke looked around wildly and roared. It raised its tails and braided them, making three _click_ noises. Astrid's eyes widened. _That's it! Stormfly's spine shots sound like the Triple Stryke's tail!_

Astrid patted her dragon. "Stormfly, take me down. I've got an idea." She squawked and flapped her wings, diving down. She landed heavily about 20 feet away from the Triple Stryke. Astrid hopped off and narrowed her eyes at the Triple Stryke. _Let's hope this works!_ She picked up two of Stormfly's spines and tapped them together three times.

The Triple Stryke roared and looked around again, unbraiding its tail. Astrid grinned. _There we go._ She tapped the spines together again, and got the same reaction. Astrid walked forwards while tapping the spines, keeping the dragon distracted. The Triple Stryke looked around, roaring. Once Astrid was directly in front of the dragon, she held out her hand. The Triple Stryke eyed her outstretched hand, then promptly pressed its snout in her hand.

Astrid grinned and laughed slightly, patting its nose. "So _that's_ what Hiccup meant!" Snotlout exclaimed.

Astrid furrowed her eyebrows and turned around, taking her hand off the Triple Stryke's nose. "What do you mean?"

"He told Snotlout to shut up, and said something about "that sound being before every attack," or something like that." Tuff answered.

"Speaking of Hiccup-" Astrid was interrupted by a loud wailing noise. Everyone looked up, and saw a screaming Fishlegs on top of an out-of-control Hookfang.

Hookfang landed heavily on the ground and slid on his stomach. "This is _not_ respect!" Fishlegs screeched.

"Welcome to my world, Fish-face." Snotlout said smugly.

Astrid walked over to the rock she told Hiccup to hide behind, grinning. "Hiccup, you can come out now!" She peered around the rock, frowning. "Hiccup?" She walked around the rock and noticed a white blow-dart laying in the dirt. She picked it up and examined it. "Hey, guys?"

Everyone ran over to Astrid, still grinning. When they noticed what she was holding, they frowned. "What's that?" Fishlegs wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but I found it where Hiccup was." Astrid answered.

"You mean he's not _there?"_ Snotlout asked with a scowl.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Clearly he's not, Snotlout, unless if he turned into a blow-dart." She meant it in a joking way, but it just made Astrid feel more panicked.

"Where's Hiccup?" she asked worriedly.

 **AAAAH, CLIFFHANGER! *cowers* PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! What'd you think? Please review! UNTIL NEXT CHAPTER! *grabs cliffhammer and walks off***


	6. Again?

**OH. MY. THOR. GUYS, WLGL HAS GOTTEN EXACTLY 2,500 VIEWS. WHAAAAT *gasps and looks around* WOW. Thanks guys! Sorry for the cliffie last update… *laughs nervously* Please don't kill me.**

 **I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE YESTERDAY. This is the first time I've been on my laptop in 2 days! *winces* THE HORROR. I'm back now though, so BOOYAH!**

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 **phieillydinyia: YAY! I'm glad! I wasn't sure exactly how to do it, but I think I did okay. And YOU WILL SEE WHO IT IS THIS CHAPTER! *cackles evilly***

 **PKWolf014: NO, PLEASE DON'T GET GRAY HAIR *cringes* I don't have insurance for that…**

 **Musical Ninja: thanks! I guess I trust my results too… since I'm the one writing it… *clears throat* ANYWAY.**

 **Thepurplewriter333: NOOO, can I be invited to your funeral? I wanna see your puppies.**

 **OKAY, now that's out of the way, ON TO CHAPTER SIX! *cackles crazily***

* * *

"Oh Thor, oh my Thor, this is bad!" Fishlegs wailed while clawing at his face. "First Hiccup goes blind, and now he goes _missing?_ How are we going to explain this to Stoick?"

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "That's why we're _not,_ Fish-face. I'm sure Princess Outpost just wandered off or something."

"Oh, _really_ Snotlout?" Ruff placed her hands on her hips. "Well then, oh wise one, explain why this dart is now in the place of our friend!" She snatched the white blow dart from Astrid's fingers and held it out towards Snotlout.

"That one's easy." He took the dart from Ruff and examined it. "He probably left to use the bathroom or something, and this fell out of his pocket. Problem solved! Let's just wait here for him to finish his _business._ "

"Then explain why we've never seen Hiccup use these before!" Ruff said accusingly.

Astrid's eye twitched, watching her friends argue. She was already extremely worried and anxious, and her friends' antics were _not_ helping to ease her nerves. " _GUYS!_ " she yelled, and instantly everyone quieted. Everyone knew that when Astrid raised her voice, you should probably listen to avoid a broken arm.

Astrid stalked over to Snotlout and snatched the dart from his fingers, holding it up. "Has anyone seen this before?"

Everyone shook their heads. Toothless, who was sniffing the ground where the blow dart was found, warbled worriedly. He ambled up to Astrid and sniffed the dart, recoiling almost instantly. His pupils contracted into slits and he growled.

"Woah, what's gotten into him?" Tuff said.

Astrid examined the dart with narrowed eyes. "Whatever this is, it can't be good. We need to find Hiccup. _Now._ "

"I second that," Fishlegs squeaked timidly.

Tuff raised a finger. "I… what comes after second?"

Everyone face-palmed. "Can I see that?" Ruff snatched the dart from Astrid, not waiting for her response. She poked Tuff's arm with the sharp end, scowling. "Muttonhead!" Ruff yelled.

Tuff's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell face-first onto the ground. Everyone froze and stared at Tuff with wide eyes. "Woah.." Ruff muttered, then sheepishly handed the dart back to Astrid.

Astrid barely noticed. Her mind was racing a hundred miles per hour. "Guys.." she said slowly. "Where have we seen something like this before?"

Fishlegs' eyes widened. "Don't the Defenders of the Wing use those darts? They knocked us out with them before."

"Woah.. you don't mean.." Snotlout eyed the dart warily.

"No way, the Defenders would never take Hiccup." Astrid said. "But whoever did must still be on the Edge. Let's go search for them."

Thunder rumbled somewhere behind Astrid. She turned and looked up, seeing the sky nearly covered in dark clouds. She cursed under her breath. "And fast."

"Did _everyone_ forget what I said?" Snotlout said. "He probably just went to the bathroom! There's no need to get all worked up."

The riders and dragons- minus Tuffnut- glared at Snotlout. He held up his hands. "Fine! Waste your time searching for Princess Outpost! See if I care."

Everyone rolled their eyes and walked to their dragons-minus Tuffnut, who was still lying on the ground. "Um.. what about Tuff?" Ruff asked and eyed her brother warily. Belch hissed and lowered his head next to his rider, picking him up by the back of his vest. He tossed Tuff up, and he landed in the saddle. Tuff, who was still dozing, laid there limply muttering nonsense.

"Well that solves that problem." Ruff said, then mounted her Zippleback head. The other riders walked to their dragons and mounted. The dragons voiced their respective roars and flew off in different directions.

Astrid, who was about to go South, stopped when she heard Toothless' warble. She looked back and saw the dragon looking at her, his head tilted. "Toothless, you can't come. I can't fly you." He growled and lowered his head. "Could you run back to the Edge and wait for us?" The black dragon warbled and nodded, then took off towards the Edge. Astrid watched him go, then patted Stormfly. Her dragon took off with a squawk, and flew over the forest.

* * *

In their haste to look for Hiccup, none of the riders or dragons noticed the figure in the woods. He sneered and adjusted the unconscious boy on his shoulder, then began trudging through the woods towards the water, where a lone ship bobbed in the waves.

* * *

"Did anyone find anything?" Astrid closed the doors to the clubhouse, walking over to the assembled riders. They all shook their heads, and Astrid scowled.

"Nothing. I think whoever took Hiccup is long gone by now. Besides, we can't see anything in this weather. It's raining far too hard!" Fishlegs frowned.

"We've got to do _something!"_ Astrid pounded her fist into the table. "It's been hours, and we haven't found anything other than this bloody dart!" She dropped it onto the table and glared at it.

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Didn't you say the Defenders used those? Why don't we just go ask them?"

Astrid opened and closed her mouth. "You know, that's not a bad idea." Astrid grinned. _Finally,_ they had a lead! "As soon as this weather clears, we'll go see the Defenders." Everyone nodded, including the newly awakened Tuffnut. "Until then, let's get some sleep. We'll need it if we're flying to the Defenders of the Wing tomorrow."

Everyone got out their blankets and settled down, falling asleep instantly. Astrid leaned against the wall, hugging her knees. She couldn't just go to sleep like everyone else, she was far too worried about Hiccup. _What if Viggo and Ryker took him?_ She thought. _What if it's another bounty hunter? The bounty was never dissolved, after all._ Astrid sighed and rubbed her eye. Right now, she needed to go to sleep. She wouldn't be much help to Hiccup if she was exhausted tomorrow.

Astrid laid on her side and closed her eyes. Her last thoughts before she drifted off to sleep were of Hiccup. _I hope you're okay, dragon boy._

* * *

"How do we know that the Defenders will know whose this is?" Fishlegs shouted to Astrid atop Meatlug. The weather had finally cleared, and the riders set off at first light. They left Toothless back at the Edge, since no one could fly him.

"We don't." Astrid replied. "We'll just hope they know something. If not, then I don't know what we'll do." Astrid bit her lip and stared ahead resolutely at the vast ocean. She didn't voice it, but she was extremely worried for her friend. First off, he was blind, so if he was kidnapped he'd have a lot more trouble escaping. _We don't know for sure if he's been kidnapped or not._ Astrid mentally scolded herself. _But what if he has been?_ She couldn't help but worry.

Fishlegs seemed to read her mind. "Don't worry Astrid, we'll find him!" he yelled. Astrid only nodded, and gnawed at her lip even more. _What if we don't?_ The darker part of her mind whispered. _Shut up._ She told herself.

"Defenders of the Wing up ahead!" Astrid instantly perked up at Snotlout's words. _Finally, maybe we'll get some answers!_

The dragons landed in the center of the courtyard. The Defenders in the area ran up and cheered. Mala and Throk ran forward, smiling. "Hello, dragon riders!" she greeted. "What brings you here?" she frowned. "And where is Hiccup Haddock?"

Astrid jumped off Stormfly and walked towards Mala. "He went missing yesterday during a thunderstorm."

Mala and the rest of the Defenders gasped, and started whispering amongst each other. "Again?" Mala asked disbelievingly.

Astrid nodded and frowned. "The only thing we could find was this." She took out the white blow dart and held it up. "Don't you guys use these?"

Mala frowned and took the dart, examining it. "Yes, we do. Although, we would never take Hiccup Haddock. The dragon riders are our allies."

Astrid nodded. "We thought so too. Do you know of anyone else who uses these darts?"

Throk frowned and took the dart from Mala. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Astrid and the other riders gasped. "You do?" she asked, feeling hopeful.

He nodded. "Does anyone recall the masked bounty hunter I told you about?"

* * *

Hiccup groaned. For some reason, his head was throbbing. He blinked his eyes open, although he still couldn't see. He was lying on his side on something hard. Wood? Now that he thought about it, the ground seemed to be moving. _Am I on a ship?_

He attempted to sit up, but noticed he couldn't move his arms. _What the-_ he tugged, realizing his wrists were tied behind his back. He scowled. _Great. I suppose I've been kidnapped again?_

Hiccup winced and shoved himself upwards with his elbow. _Ow,_ bad idea. The movement just made his head throb worse. He gritted his teeth and sat up fully. He wished he could clutch at his head, it hurt so bad. _What happened?_ Hiccup leaned backwards, against a curved wooden surface. The wall creaked, and the floor moved again. _Yep, definitely on a ship._

He tried standing up, but noticed his feet were also tied together. Well, foot and prosthetic. _Really?_ Hiccup felt a strange sense of deja-vu. The last time this happened was on Amos and Berthel's ship, and the rest of the day consisted of attempting-and failing- to escape from various bounty hunters. _At least last time I could actually see._ He thought angrily, and tugged at the ropes. _Now I can't even see an inch in front of me!_

Hiccup froze when he heard a _thump_ from above deck. _Uh oh…_ The thumps were getting closer-he assumed the person was walking down the stairs. _Should I pretend I'm still asleep?_ The footsteps stopped in front of him. _Well, too late for that._ He thought wryly. "You're awake." A deep voice rumbled.

Hiccup barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "No, I'm pretty sure I'm still asleep. Don't mind me!"

The man growled and kneeled in front of him. "You're more talkative than I remember."

Hiccup frowned. "We've met before?"

He grunted and grabbed Hiccup's chin, wrenching it upwards. "Don't I _look_ familiar?"

Hiccup scowled and tugged at the ropes. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Definitely."

He could practically _feel_ the man's frown. "Hmm.. you're blind?"

This time, Hiccup did roll his eyes. "Obviously, or I'd probably have escaped by now."

The man started chuckling. The sound was so frightening, Hiccup barely resisted the urge to hide in a corner. The man released his chin and stood, walking away from Hiccup. "This will be easier than I thought."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is not important. Just know, I don't appreciate being kicked off of cliffs."

 **DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS? *grins evilly* Raise your hand if you remember the masked man! *raises two hands and waves them around* SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO PKWolf014, who guessed it in the reviews! Give yourself a pat on the back. Until next chapter! *cackles and disappears in a puff of green smoke***


	7. He's Gonna Kill us

**Hey guys, katurdi's back! (again…) I'M SO SORRY IF THIS IS GLITCHING, MY INTERNET IS AWFUL.**

 **WLGL has gotten over 3,000 views! (3,363 exactly) WHAAT. That's insane!**

 **ANYWAY, How are you guys liking the twist so far? Yay or nay? (or should I say "neigh?" *snorts*) ANYWAY, SHOUTOUT TIME.**

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **FanWriter02: I might have hidden your pitchfork so you can't gouge out my eyes…. *Laughs nervously* Oh yeah, I've heard of that! I'll probably add in his name somewhere…**

 **Phieillydinyia: (btw, your name is SUPER hard to spell) Well, he TECHNICALLY didn't help. He just knocked out Ryker with Hiccup's leg, and when he saw he was outnumbered jumped back off the cliff. I don't know if that means he's good or not, but I'm ASSUMING he's still bad. And it's definitely not that… *grins evilly* you'll have to see!**

 **Dimensional Phaser: I KNOW RIGHT?! I have this weird thing for hurting Hiccup… *sniffs* I'M SORRY HICCUP**

 **SailorMew4: *gasp* YOU DID? Awesome! *claps enthusiastically* Yay, I'm glad!**

 **Animalsarepeopletoo: thanks! I try.. it's probably the easiest writing Fishlegs since he's so paranoid all the time!**

 **PKWolf014: You ARE smarticle! *laughs crazily* What does that even mean? I have no idea. Aww, thanks! That means a lot! I'LL JOIN YOU! *cracks knuckles***

 **Silverwood68: thanks! You'll see!**

 **Thepurplewriter333: YESS I AM A SNEAKY SNAKEE (what even..?) Thanks!**

 **Ugh: (awesome name, BTW) wow, really? Thanks!**

 ***clears throat* Now, ON TO CHAPTER 7! *grins evilly***

* * *

"Oh, oh! You mean that cool bounty hunter who flipped off the cliff? That was awesome _and_ scary!" Astrid rolled her eyes at Tuff's words.

"That was _not_ cool, Tuff!" Fishlegs squeaked. "That man was extremely dangerous, and could seriously hurt someone! Don't you remember those bruises Hiccup had on his neck? They didn't fade for over a month." The riders collectively shuddered, remembering the pain their friend was in.

Astrid's mind was racing. "Throk," she said slowly. "Do you know anyone else who uses these? _Anyone?"_ the last part sounded slightly hysterical, but Astrid could care less. _If that man has Hiccup, who knows what could happen!_

"I'm afraid not, Miss Hofferson," Throk said sadly.

Everyone, including Snotlout, looked worried at this point. "Great, so you're telling me that my cousin has been kidnapped by that crazy bounty hunter, and could be Thor knows where by now?" He said sarcastically.

Ruff elbowed him in the gut. "That's exactly what he said, muttonhead!"

Fishlegs looked like he was about to faint. "Oh gods, what do we do? There's no way we'll be able to find them now, it's been over twenty four hours! They could be literally _anywhere._ "

Astrid took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I don't know, Fishlegs. We've got to do _something!_ I think we should tell Stoick."

All the riders gasped collectively. "You can't be serious!" Snotlout whisper-yelled. "Who knows what Stoick will do to us for losing his only son!"

Tuff grinned. "Actually, maybe we _should_ tell Stoick. We might get some cool scars!"

Ruff, who was serious for once, elbowed Tuff in the gut. "Tuff, now's not the time for your stupidity! Stoick could leave far worse than a few scars…"

"It's the only option!" Astrid insisted. "We'd have much better luck finding Hiccup if we had a Rumblehorn on our side, they can track almost anything."

"Yeah, but we'd also have an angry Stoick to deal with!" Snotlout said fearfully.

"We have no choice, Snotlout. We're wasting time, the longer we argue the farther away they could get." Astrid almost screamed in frustration.

"Astrid's right," Fishlegs said sadly. "We need to tell Stoick. I would rather keep all of my limbs too, but Hiccup is in serious danger right now."

"Yeah! Stoick can help us," Ruff agreed.

Astrid felt relieved that everyone was agreeing-minus Snotlout, who still seemed nervous. "Let's go to Berk, then. Mount up!"

The riders mounted their dragons and took off. Astrid vaguely heard Mala yell "Thor be with you, dragon riders!" Her thoughts were occupied with something-or rather someone else.

* * *

"UGH, I'm _bored."_ Snotlout said for what felt like the thousandth time. "How much longer until we get to Berk?"

Astrid's eye twitched. "It hasn't even been ten hours Snotlout. We still have about twenty to go."

"Are you _kidding me?"_ He whined. "Remind me again why we picked an island so far from Berk."

"Snotlout, we needed an outpost for exploring beyond the Archipelago," Fishlegs explained slowly. "The outpost had to be far away! Would you prefer if we flew back and forth from Berk instead?"

Snotlout grumbled under his breath, but didn't reply. Astrid went back to staring at the horizon. The sun was starting to set, and would disappear in less than ten minutes. The sky looked beautiful, but Astrid couldn't enjoy the view. Not with Hiccup missing, and definitely in danger.

Astrid couldn't help but feel like this whole situation was her fault. If she hadn't have told Hiccup to hide behind that rock, maybe he wouldn't have gotten kidnapped. She should have kept a closer eye on him. Thor, she should have left him back at the Edge! What was she thinking, letting him come with her in his condition? _I wasn't thinking._ She mentally scolded herself. Even if she had left Hiccup back at the Edge, he would've gotten taken anyway.

Her eyes unfocused as the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon. Astrid couldn't think straight. Her thoughts were completely clouded by worry for her friend. She furrowed her eyebrows. _What are we, anyway?_ Astrid wasn't sure if she could call him her friend anymore. The recent events made her realize that he was _much_ more than a friend to her. Would she worry this much if any of the other riders went missing? _Probably not._ She told herself. _Hiccup means much more to me than the other riders._

 _Does he feel the same way about me?_ Astrid frowned. She _hoped_ so. Maybe she'd ask him if- no, _when_ they found him. _But what if we don't find him in time?_ The darker part of her mind worried. _No, we_ will _find him._ She smiled slightly, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Astrid jerked awake, looking around frantically. _What was that?_

"Astrid!" Astrid looked up with wide eyes, relaxing when she saw it was only Fishlegs. "We're almost to Berk, just a few more hours." Astrid nodded and rubbed her eye, yawning.

"Did you guys get any sleep?" She asked Fishlegs.

"Yeah. Luckily, Snotlout and the twins are still sleeping." He gestured back, and Astrid saw them lying over their dragons, snoring loudly. Snotlout twitched and scratched his nose, muttering something about Hookfang.

"Thank Thor for that," Astrid muttered just loud enough for Fishlegs to hear. "I don't think I can take much more of his whining.." Fishlegs nodded in agreement.

"Hey, I heard that!" the newly awakened Snotlout yelled. "And for your information, I don't whine _that_ much."

Astrid glanced over and saw the twins were up, glaring at Snotlout. "Right, and Hiccup isn't missing." Tuff quipped, then froze.

"Oh, great! Now we'll have to deal with an angry Stoick _and_ an angry Astrid today." Snotlout yelled, then looked at Astrid.

Astrid was practically shaking with anger and something else. _How_ dare _they joke about that?_

"Relax, babe. I didn't mean it like that," Snotlout said, but cowered when he noticed Astrid's glare.

Astrid closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't really angry, she was more scared and worried. "There's no use fighting right now. Right now, we should figure out what we're going to say to Stoick." Everyone collectively sighed in relief.

"I think we should try breaking it to him gently," Fishlegs suggested.

"Oh, great idea Fish-face! If we tell him gently, he'll kill us gently!" Snotlout yelled sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air.

Fishlegs squeaked and shrunk back. "Just a suggestion."

Astrid glared at Snotlout. "Stoick isn't going to _kill_ us!" _Hopefully._ "But, I think Fishlegs is right. We should tell him gently."

"Who's going to tell him?" Ruff asked, and the riders at each other.

Astrid scowled and blew her bangs out of her face. "We'll all tell him together."

"Great, so he can kill us together!" Snotlout complained. He was about to say something else, but was cut off by Astrid's glare. He quickly turned his head and stared at the ocean.

"Does anyone else have any complaints?" Astrid was met by silence. She nodded in satisfaction and looked ahead resolutely. _I hope Stoick takes this well…_ She thought. _How could he, though? His only son is missing, and on top of that he's blind._ Astrid sighed heavily and pursed her lips, letting herself get lost in her thoughts.

* * *

"Berk incoming!" Fishlegs yelled. Astrid snapped her head up, eyes wide. _Oh gods…_ She looked down at Berk, searching for the Chief. The villagers waved up at the riders happily, and Astrid waved halfheartedly. She finally spotted Stoick, who was talking to Gobber near the forge. _Great, we have to tell Gobber too? This just gets better and better._

The dragons landed in unison near Stoick, Stormfly in the front. Stoick waved merrily at the riders. "Hello, riders! What brings you here?" He frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "And where's Hiccup?"

Astrid and the other riders dismounted their dragons, and walked up to the Chief and Gobber. Astrid gulped, smiling nervously. "Hello, Chief." Fishlegs squeaked somewhere behind her.

Stoick narrowed his eyes. "Alright, out with it. Where's my boy?"

Astrid took a deep breath and was about to answer, when Tuff cut in. "We have no idea!" Ruff slammed a hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

Gobber frowned. "What? Did he say you have no idea where he is?"

Astrid sighed and slumped her shoulders forwards. "That's exactly what he said. He's been missing for about three days." The riders collectively cringed, waiting for Stoick's outburst.

" _WHAT?"_ He bellowed, and Astrid was sure the Outcasts probably could've heard it. Gobber's mouth hung open in disbelief, but he didn't voice anything.

"And there's one more thing-" Astrid was cut off by Snotlout.

"He's blind!" he yelled, then slapped his hand over his mouth.

" _WHAT?"_ This time, Astrid was pretty sure the entire Archipelago heard it.

Fishlegs timidly stepped forward. "He was blinded in a thunderstorm by a lightning bolt."

"And, we're pretty sure that awesome masked bounty hunter guy took him!" Tuff helpfully put in. (sarcasm _so_ included)

Stoick rubbed his face and sighed. "So, you're telling me my son has been kidnapped by a bounty hunter, _while_ blind?" The riders nodded. "Oh gods…" he plopped down on a crate in front of the forge, putting his head in his hands.

"Is this one of your pranks?" Gobber said disbelievingly.

"Sadly, no." Astrid lowered her head.

Stoick stood suddenly, jaw set. "Then let's go after them!"

* * *

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Wait, you're the masked bounty hunter? The guy who tried to buy Toothless at the auction?"

"That's me," Hiccup assumed the man grinned, according to his tone of voice.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes and scowled. "What do you want with me? I thought Ryker made it pretty clear he wasn't paying the bounty."

He chuckled. "Oh, it's not what I want. It's Viggo who has a bone to pick with you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Tell him to join the club. I could name at least ten people who have an issue with me."

"Why should I tell him, when you can tell him yourself?" Hiccup could feel the man scowl at him. "You should be able to have a nice long chat with him."

"You mean you're taking me to Viggo?" Hiccup felt fear bubble up inside of him.

When the man didn't reply, Hiccup assumed that was a yes. "Well, do you mind telling me exactly why you're doing this? Do you really think Viggo is going to pay the gold this time?"

The man chuckled. "That was not Viggo. That was Ryker acting of his own accord. I had a little…chat with Viggo. He said if I could bring you to him this time, he'd pay double the price of the bounty."

Hiccup scowled in the darkness and blew his bangs out of his eyes. _So that's how Viggo wants to play?_ "If gold is what you want, I'm sure Berk would be more than willing to pay that price." He couldn't help but smile slightly. That was almost the same thing he said to Savage a few months ago.

The man trudged back in front of Hiccup, and he heard him kneel directly in front of him. Hiccup tried to make his face neutral. _Don't let your fear show…_ "Listen here, runt. I have no love for you either. I'd love the chance to get revenge myself, but Viggo wants you in top condition. You should stop talking now, unless if you want me to go back on my word."

The fear magnified, until it felt like butterflies were swirling in his stomach. Hiccup covered it up with a wry grin, and glared at what he assumed was the man's face. "Talking is what I do best."

Hiccup felt the man lean forwards, then suddenly felt his hot breath on his face. Hiccup couldn't stop himself from flinching backwards. _Gods, this guy's breath stinks!_ "Would you like me to make you stop?"

"Nope, I'm fine. Carry on with whatever you were doing." He answered. The man grunted and stood, and Hiccup sighed quietly in relief.

"No funny business. We're a few hours away from Dragon Hunter island." The footsteps trudged upwards, and disappeared.

Hiccup listened to the masked man's footsteps, and decided he was above deck. He grinned wryly to himself. Since when has he let anything stop him from escaping?

 **PHEW, done with chapter 7! *wipes sweat off forehead* If anyone has any requests or suggestions, REVIEW! Until next time!**


	8. Haddock

**Hi guys, I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in such a long time… I spent all of Thursday packing, and Friday riding in the car for 11 hours…. I wrote this in the car, actually. AND, I've been waiting to see if FanFiction would fix itself, but I guess not. It's been WAY too long and I feel really bad for not updating… so HERE YOU GO. ANOTHER UPDATE!**

 **Also, we've hit 40 FOLLOWERS! THANKS SO MUCH GUYS! AND, WLGL has gotten over 4,500 views! WOOP WOOP**

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **Dimensional Phaser: That's exactly why it's called SUSPENSION! *cackles***

 **Animalsarepeopletoo: YAY, thank you! That means a lot! I was laughing when I came up with the idea, I just HAD to write it. Well, I do love hitting people with my cliffhammer! *holds up cliffhammer* His name is Cliffnailer.**

 **SailorMew4: Heh.. I wasn't totally sure how to make Stoick react, but I think I did okay! And Hiccup's sarcasm is SO much fun to write!**

 **Thepurplewriter333: Thanks! I was planning on it, luckily…**

 **FanWriter02: AGH, I feel you… FanFiction has been having issues lately. FIX IT ASAP FANFICTION! Thank you so much!**

 **Silverwood68: You'll have to wait and see! Yes… yes they do…**

 **NOW, ON TO CHAPTER 8! Chapter 9 will be up sometime later this week, probably. I'M NOT LEAVING FOR THAT LONG AGAIN IF I CAN HELP IT.**

* * *

Hiccup wriggled his wrists, trying to free them from the ropes. _Thank the gods for my wrist guards, or I'd probably be bleeding by now._ After a few minutes of fruitless effort, he gave it up as a lost cause. They were just too tight. _That masked man definitely knows how to tie a knot…_ he thought wryly.

He sighed heavily through his nose, trying to think of something else. _Maybe if I can get off my boot I can free my legs?_ He wriggled his legs- or, foot and prosthetic. Hiccup pulled his legs up and scraped his heel against the ground, trying to get his boot off. After a few minutes, it fell off with a _thunk._ Hiccup froze and listened for the masked man. When he didn't hear his heavy footsteps, he figured he was safe-for now.

Now that the boot was off, Hiccup could easily slide his prosthetic out of the ropes. _Finally!_ He thought. He leaned against the wall of the ship and stood slowly. Hiccup felt around with his foot, finding his boot. He flipped it upright and slid his foot back into it part-way. Hiccup figured it was probably better to walk with his boot half-on than barefoot, after all. _Maybe there's something sharp around here…_ Keeping his back against the wall, he ran his tied hands across the curved wooden wall.

 _Wood, wood, more wood… OW!_ Hiccup jerked his hand away. He felt blood trickling down from the cut on his palm, but he hardly cared. He grinned happily and barely contained a shout. _Finally!_ He slowly reached his hand back to the wood, feeling for the sharp object. When he found it, he rubbed the ropes over it. He cringed every time the _scrape_ sound was made, hoping the masked man wouldn't hear and investigate.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._ Hiccup's eyes widened drastically. _No! I'm almost done!_ But, it was unmistakable. The masked man was walking towards the stairs.

* * *

Astrid watched Stoick trudge in the direction of his house. "Sir, we've already looked. We have no idea where they could be!"

"Zip, zero, nada!" Tuff put in helpfully.

Astrid glared at him, then turned back to Stoick. "It's been over three days, they could be anywhere. We don't even know if they're in the Archipelago or not!"

"That doesn't matter. Skullcrusher is the best tracker around!" Stoick insisted, then sped up his footsteps. Astrid ran up to him and jogged beside the Chief, trying to match his pace.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To get something of Hiccup's, of course. Skullcrusher can track his scent." He said, and Astrid glanced at his face. It was mostly stoic, but she could see both worry and fear in his eyes.

"We'll find him," she said, trying to be reassuring. The chief just grunted and pulled open the door of his house, slamming it behind him.

Astrid bit her lip, wondering what she should do. She decided she'd go back to the other riders, and jogged back down the hill. When she got to them, she noticed they all looked relieved.

"Well, that went well." Snotlout said.

Fishlegs whimpered. "I thought we were dead for sure!"

"He could be plotting our murders right now," Tuff said thoughtfully. "Maybe he wants to chop us up with his battle axe, then cook us in Marinara sauce." He licked his lips. "We would make a good meal. Especially Fishlegs."

Ruff rolled her eyes. "He's not going to _eat_ us, Tuff. He's probably going to set Skullcrusher on us, then throw our remains in the ocean."

Fishlegs visibly paled. "Oh Thor."

Astrid face-palmed. "Guys, he's not going to kill us! Or cook us, Tuff." Tuff put down his raised finger and frowned. "He's much more worried about finding Hiccup, as _we_ should be."

"We need to focus on one threat at a time. The closest and most dangerous one is Stoick!" Snotlout said accusingly. Astrid growled and punched his arm, making him wince.

"This isn't a joke, guys! Stoick is _not_ going to kill us, but Hiccup could be killed at any time!"

"Hey, why do you care so much?" Snotlout rubbed his injured arm. "It's not like Fishbone has Stoick the Vast after him."

Astrid opened her mouth, then closed it. "Snotlout, really? You know how dangerous that masked man is." She couldn't tell him the _real_ reason why she cared so much- not yet, anyway.

He grumbled under his breath and opened his mouth, but before he could answer Stoick walked up. He had a green shirt clenched in his fist, and was trailed by Skullcrusher. "You lot ready to go?"

Astrid glanced back at their dragons, who were lying on the ground. They looked completely exhausted. Astrid sighed heavily. "I think the dragons need to rest first. They flew 30 hours with no break, after all." Stormfly made a squawk of agreement.

Stoick furrowed his eyebrows, sighing heavily. "Then I'll go alone."

Astrid's eyes widened. _No way, I need to help!_ "Chief, it's far too dangerous. We're dealing with an extremely skilled bounty hunter, who even beat Throk." Stoick looked at her questionably. "He's a Defender."

Stoick growled and narrowed his eyes. "Fine. You've got five hours, then I'm leaving with or without you." He trudged away angrily, the shirt still clenched in his fist.

Gobber ran up to the riders, out of breath. He doubled over, panting. "D-did I miss him?" He stuttered out.

"No, we decided we're leaving in five hours." Astrid answered.

Gobber sighed in relief. "Good, I should go pack my undies."

* * *

Hiccup froze and listened to the footsteps, which were definitely getting closer. _What do I do, what do I do?_ His eyes darted everywhere, although he still couldn't see. Hiccup was used to using all of his senses to make plans, but without his sight it was _much_ harder.

He was starting to panic. The masked man would definitely notice the discarded ropes on the ground, and then would see his legs were free. Plus, he was only about half-way through the ropes on his wrists, so he probably couldn't break through those yet.

Hiccup took a deep breath and closed his eyes-not that it made a difference, he couldn't see either way. _Okay, maybe if I hide my legs he won't notice anything?_ Hiccup sighed mentally. _That'll have to do._ Hiccup walked slowly back to the spot he woke up and sat down, leaning against the wall. He curled his legs underneath himself, hoping that would suffice. _Hopefully he won't notice._

Hiccup closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, hoping the masked man would think he was asleep. _Thud. Thud. Thud._ Hiccup listened to the footsteps descend the stairs, then transfer onto the wooden floor. Hiccup listened to the thumps, which were moving farther away from him. _What's he doing?_ Hiccup thought. He heard something shift and the man grunt, and guessed he picked something up. The footsteps came closer, then stopped directly in front of him. Hiccup forced himself to stay relaxed. _Oh gods…_

* * *

Once Stoick's deadline was reached, Astrid trudged back to meet the other riders. Stormfly was well-rested and happy, and occasionally squawked at the passing villagers. Astrid smiled fondly at her dragon, then frowned again. How could she be happy now, when Hiccup was missing?

She spotted the riders and jogged up to them, her dragon following. "You guys ready to go?" She stopped in front of the riders, who had clearly just stopped bickering.

"You bet!" Ruff said.

"As ready as a book! Wait, what?" Tuff said.

"What does _that_ mean?" Snotlout stared at Tuff incredulously.

"I have absolutely no idea."

"All right, riders!" Stoick clapped his large hands together and walked up to the riders. "Are you ready to go find my son?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Snotlout muttered.

Luckily, Stoick didn't hear that last part. He dug the green shirt out of his pocket, then held it up to Skullcrusher to sniff. The Rumblehorn look a long whiff, then snorted. "He's got a scent. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Gobber ran up to them, Grump trailing behind lazily. "I want to go too!"

"Gobber, I need you here to take care of Berk." Stoick placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I appoint you as acting Chief."

"But-"

"No buts! You can see Hiccup when we get 'em." Gobber grumbled under his breath, but obeyed none the less.

The dragon riders-minus Gobber- mounted their dragons. Skullcrusher took off with two mighty flaps of his wings, then the rest of the dragons followed.

* * *

Astrid directed Stormfly to fly beside Skullcrusher. She glanced down to check on Toothless, who was sleeping in Skullcrusher's talons. They had stopped by the Edge to pick him up, since the dragon would obviously want to help find his rider. Besides, they could use the extra firepower.

They had flown for over thirty hours straight, and the Chief had stayed awake the entire time. He hardly ever blinked, and had large dark circles underneath his eyes. Astrid understood- she could barely sleep herself. "Chief, you need to rest." Astrid said gently.

"I can't rest." He said blearily. "What if we find them, and I'm not awake?"

"I'll stay up and wake you if we do find them. Get some sleep please, sir. You need to be fully rested in case if we need to fight."

The Chief yawned widely. "I suppose you're right, Astrid." He barely stifled another yawn. "You're a good lass." Astrid smiled slightly, then watched Stoick lay over his dragon. "You'd make a good wife for my son." Astrid blushed crimson. She was certain he wouldn't have said that if he was fully awake. She watched the Chief for a few more minutes, until she was certain he was asleep.

Astrid glanced around her, and noticed the others were also asleep. It was night time, after all. Astrid barely stifled a yawn herself. _No. I've got to stay awake._ She shook her head and blinked blearily. _Hopefully we'll find them soon…_

* * *

Astrid blinked, trying to wake herself up fully. She was pretty sure she heard someone yell. _What..?_ She sat up fully and rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Skullcrusher is slowing down!" Stoick yelled. "I'm not sure if he's tired or is losing the scent. Hopefully it's the former." Suddenly, Skullcrusher stopped completely. He hovered midair, roaring. "What?"

The other dragons barely stopped before running into the Rumblehorn. "What was that for?" Snotlout yelled angrily. "Hookfang was almost knocked out of the sky!"

"Quiet!" Astrid yelled, then watched Stoick.

"What is it boy?" Skullcrusher spun in a circle, sniffing in all directions. He finally stopped and roared frustratedly. "No, no, no! He's lost the scent!" At Stoick's words, Toothless wailed despairingly.

"How?" Astrid asked incredulously. "We're in the middle of the ocean! How could Hiccup be here?"

"Either he's drowned, died, or something masked his scent." Fishlegs said worriedly. "Hopefully it's the third one." Toothless snorted in agreement.

Astrid bit her lip and punched Stormfly's saddle, growling angrily. She barely stopped herself from outright screaming. "I can't believe it! How are we supposed to find them now?"

"I don't know, Astrid." Stoick said sadly. "I don't know."

* * *

 _Splelch._ Suddenly, something slimy, wet, and extremely smelly cascaded down Hiccup's head. He gasped and sat up, spluttering. "Why would you do that?" He was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to puke.

"Had to mask your scent." The man replied gruffly. "Viggo said you have tracker dragons."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Were those _fish guts?"_

"Haddock, to be specific." Hiccup scrunched up his face in disgust. _Well that's ironic._ "We'll be at Viggo's base in about an hour. Get ready." Hiccup felt fear wash over him, but kept his expression neutral. The masked man's footsteps receded, then went back up the stairs again. _What am I supposed to do now?_

 **...poor hiccup. First I blinded him, made him get captured, and NOW he's covered in fish guts! *coughs* DOES THAT COUNT AS A CLIFFHANGER? *silence* I guess you're right.**

 **Now THAT took forever to write. Lemme tell you, it's really hard to write in the car when you already get carsick easily. Did you guys like it? Please review! SEE YOU TURDS NEXT CHAPTER! (Get it? Katurdi, you guys read my story, so you're turds… I'll shut up now.)**


	9. Ploys

**Hey guys! *waves enthusiastically* I'm back! After… *checks watch* like a WEEK?! I'm SO sorry, guys! I've been working on a drawing lately… but I'm back, right? Well, for now. I'm in Disney World. I wrote this in the car, actually (again. STUPID CARSICKNESS!) ANYWAY, I have an important announcement:**

 **When I get home, two more stories are coming out!** **That's right, TWO! Once is the (very much requested) SEQUEL TO "THE HAND THING!" I have NO idea why you guys want it, but it's coming!**

 **The second is a surprise… *grins evilly***

 **SHOUTOUTS**

 **Thepurplewriter333: I know right? *shudders* I don't know WHY I added that… And YOU'RE one to talk about cliffhangers. *glares***

 **Animalsarepeopletoo: Oh my gods, that WOULD'VE been ironic. I wish I had thought of that…**

 **PKWolf014: I KNOW RIGHT? *gags* Disgusting… Wow, really? Thank you so so much!**

 **Silverwood68: Honestly, I don't know what it means. Since when has anyone known what Tuff means? Yep, it definitely does. Carsickness SUCKS.**

 **Thanks EVERYONE for your reviews and support! So far WLGL has gotten over 6,000 views, 72 reviews, 50 follows, and 33 favs! THANK YOU SO MUCH! *blinks back tears* Anyway, on to chapter 9!**

* * *

 _BLEGH._ Hiccup shook his head, trying to get some of the Haddock guts out of his hair. He scrunched up his nose and gagged. _Did he_ have _to use fish guts? Couldn't he have used flowers or something?_ Hiccup rolled his eyes and mentally scolded himself. _Of course, flowers don't have a strong enough scent._ Hiccup had to admit, although begrudgingly, that this masked man was pretty clever.

He frowned. _What's his name, anyway?_ He wondered. _I can't call him "masked man" forever._ Hiccup scrunched up his eyebrows. _Does he even_ have _a name?_

Hiccup shook his head, mentally berating himself. Now was _not_ the time to wonder about the masked man's name. Right now, he needed to think of a plan before… Grumpy got back. Hiccup figured since he's so _grumpy_ all the time, why not just call him Grumpy?

He picked at the ropes on his wrists, thinking deeply. He could easily get the ropes off, since he already knew where the nail was. _But what would I do after that? Grumpy would probably notice something's off._ Hiccup smiled slightly. _Well, he didn't notice my legs were free._

 _Okay, step one: get these ropes off. What about step two?_ Hiccup bit at his lip, which he sometimes did while thinking deeply. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He couldn't exactly jump off the boat without Grumpy noticing. Besides, even if Grumpy didn't notice, he still would have no idea where he was going. He could be swimming _towards_ Viggo's base, for all he knew!

Hiccup scowled, listening to Grumpy's footsteps sound above him. _Might as well start on step one._

* * *

Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Once she counted to ten mentally, she opened them again. The other riders were looking at both her and Stoick nervously, as if they were dragon eggs that were about to hatch.

Stoick was the first to break the tense silence. "Alright, you said he was taken by a "masked man," correct?" Everyone nodded. "Do any of you know anything about him? Does he have a base or something?"

"I know that he's both awesome and scary," Tuff said. Ruff nudged him with her elbow.

"Anything _useful?"_ Stoick said angrily.

Snotlout snapped his fingers. "Wasn't he a bounty hunter?"

Astrid's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, he is Snotlout!"

Fishlegs snapped his fingers. "Maybe someone put another bounty on Hiccup that we didn't know about!"

"Or," said Astrid slowly. "Maybe he's fulfilling a bounty that's already been issued."

Realization dawned on all the rider's faces. "Viggo!" They yelled simultaneously.

Stoick's face turned red with fury. "You mean to tell me that piece of scum never removed the bounty?"

"He probably did," Fishlegs said. "There haven't been any other bounty hunters since that first time, have there?"

"Not that we know of." Ruff said.

"Well, why would that masked guy go after Hiccup again if the bounty was removed?" Snotlout asked accusingly.

"I'm guessing Viggo hired the masked man personally, when the bounty failed." Fishlegs said. "He is extremely good at fighting, after all."

Stoick watched the conversation with narrowed eyes. "So you're saying they're at Viggo's fortress?"

"They're either there now, or on the way." Fishlegs answered. "How long has it been… four days?"

"Four days, ten hours and twenty one minutes." Astrid answered automatically. The other riders gazed incredulously at her. "What?"

Snotlout mouthed the word _wow._ Astrid rolled her eyes. "They're probably not there yet. Maybe we can catch up to them!"

"Let's go, then!" Stoick patted Skullcrusher, who roared. "Which way is the base?"

"That way!" Tuff pointed in a random direction. "I think."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "It's this way, Tuff." She patted Stormfly, who squawked and turned in the direction Astrid directed her to. She and the other dragons flapped their wings and soared in the direction of Viggo's base.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Snotlout yelled indignantly. "They couldn't have gotten _that_ far ahead, could they?"

Astrid sighed and glared at Snotlout, although she _was_ starting to get worried. Actually, _worried_ was an understatement. They had been flying for almost ten hours, and the sky was already speckled with stars. So far, Hiccup had been missing for almost five days. Astrid and the other riders were _certain_ they were going to Viggo's base, but Astrid couldn't help worry that they were wrong. _What if we're completely off?_ She thought wryly. _Or, what if we're right, and they've already gotten to Viggo's base?_

Astrid narrowed her eyes and frowned deeply. _What does Viggo want Hiccup for, anyway?_ She thought ruefully. _Why would he go through all of this trouble?_ Astrid figured he probably didn't want to simply kill Hiccup, why hire a professional bounty hunter just for that? _I'll bet he has some sort of master plan._

Suddenly, Stoick gasped. "Look! There's a ship up ahead!" Astrid jerked her head up, eyes wide. She gazed at the small ship bobbing in the waves just a few miles away from the riders and their dragons.

"I'll bet that's them!" she yelled happily.

"Let's hope so! Let's land on the ship. No firing, we don't know whether or not this is the right ship." Stoick commanded. Astrid and the others nodded, then directed their dragons down towards the ship. Once they reached it, the riders jumped off their dragons on to the deck. The dragons circled around the ship, since it was much too small for them to land on.

Skullcrusher dropped Toothless on the deck with a loud _thump._ The black dragon immediately leapt up and stretched his wings, growling slightly. "Okay, let's search below deck!" Astrid said. The riders, plus Stoick, nodded and ran towards the stairs.

To say Astrid was shocked once she saw what was below deck was an understatement. Hiding behind a single barrel were two dragon hunters. They quivered and whimpered, each holding tight onto a small axe.

With a roar of fury, Stoick stomped forward and grabbed the terrified hunters by their shirts. He held them up, glaring at them. "What are you lot doing out here? In an _unmarked_ ship?"

One of the hunters attempted to hit Stoick with his axe, but was promptly disarmed by a small shake by Stoick. "WHERE IS MY SON?" He roared.

"W-we don't know!" One of the hunters stuttered.

"Viggo just told us to sail around! Honest!" The other said nervously.

Astrid's eyes widened. She brandished her axe threateningly and glared at the hunters. "What do you mean Viggo told you to _sail around?"_

"We don't know! He said we'd get extra money if we sailed around, nearby his base."

"And we _do_ love extra money. We can buy more chicken!"

Tuff gasped. "Did you say _chicken?"_ He said incredulously.

"Mhm. They're delicious, especially when cooked in oil and sprinkled with salt…" Both the hunters licked their lips. Tuff roared with fury and jumped at the hunters, but was held back by Snotlout and Ruff.

Astrid hardly registered any of that. Her mind was working at the speed of a Night Fury. _Viggo told the hunters to sail around?_ "How many of you are out here?"

The hunters shook their heads and crossed their arms. "Not telling." They said at the same time. Toothless, who Astrid assumed followed the riders below deck, growled at the hunters. "F-fine! There's about nine other ships!"

"What do they look like?" Stoick said.

"E-exactly like this one. Viggo said t-to look "inconspicuous," w-whatever that means."

Both Fishlegs and Astrid gasped, coming to the same conclusion. "Viggo is using the ships as ploys!" Fishlegs said.

Stoick's face turned puce with anger. "That _scum_ is trying to mislead us!"

"Wait, hold up." Ruff held up her hands. "You mean to say that Viggo has sent out a bunch of other ships to confuse us?"

"Exactly." Fishlegs answered.

Snotlout kicked a nearby barrel, scowling angrily. "That-that _cheater!_ He can't do that!"

Tuff whistled appreciatively. "He must _really_ want that masked guy to succeed!"

"But _why?"_ Fishlegs mused.

"Now is not the time." Stoick stalked above deck, with the hunters still in his hold. He threw them overboard, and Astrid vaguely heard them shrieking. "We need to find my son!"

* * *

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Snotlout yelled. Astrid couldn't help but silently agree. So far, they had searched three other unmarked ships in the area, which were all manned by dragon hunters. Every single one of the ships were identical, and the riders received the same results: no Hiccup. Astrid was steadily growing more frustrated, and could tell that the other riders were too. Especially Stoick- he practically snapped at anyone who so much as coughed. He also almost killed the last hunters they encountered, but was narrowly stopped by Toothless. Speaking of Toothless, the dragon was steadily becoming more depressed. Astrid knew that the dragon had _never_ been separated from his rider for this long before. She figured it was probably extremely hard for him, judging by his almost constant whining.

She sighed heavily and gazed at the sky, which was steadily growing brighter. Astrid guessed that the sun would be rising in a couple of minutes. _Five days, four hours, and fourty-three minutes._ Astrid stifled back a yawn, gazing at the horizon. She didn't know _how_ she knew exactly how long it's been- she just did. Snotlout questioned her about it, accusing her of "being a nerd, like _Fishlegs."_ Astrid had snorted and thrown one of the apples stored in Stormfly's saddlebag, hitting Snotlout square in the forehead. "Is _that_ nerdy enough for you?" she had shouted. He hadn't bothered her about it since.

 _Five days, four hours, and fourty-five minutes now._ The sun was just now peeking out from behind the horizon, the brightness hurting Astrid's eyes slightly. She shielded her eyes and glanced down at the churning sea below. She squinted at the waves, noticing something. _What the-_ Astrid patted Stormfly and directed her to fly closer to the ocean. She leant over, snatching something out of the water. "Astrid, what are you doing?" Ruff yelled, but Astrid hardly noticed.

She slowly turned the charcoal pencil in her hand, examining it. "What's this doing here?" She wondered aloud. She turned it again, then nearly dropped the pencil. Etched into the wood near the bottom was the initials "HHH3."

* * *

Hiccup dearly hoped the others found the clue. He had gotten the rest of the ropes off, which was a _huge_ relief. He had removed one of the charcoal pencils that he kept in his armor which, thankfully, Grumpy hadn't taken. He found a small hole in the floor and dropped it into the ocean, hoping the others would get the message.

Hiccup had no doubt that the others were after them- and possibly even his dad. He guessed the riders had either visited the Defenders or Berk for help, then went to find him. After all, it shouldn't have taken the riders too long to notice he was missing.

Either they were looking for them, or hanging around the Edge. Hiccup _highly_ doubted the latter option, as Astrid would probably beat anyone who as much as suggested it. He smiled slightly thinking of his friends. _Gods, I miss them._ He wasn't sure how long it had been since the incident at the Edge, but it was f _ar_ too long for his liking.

Hiccup absolutely _hated_ not doing anything, but he had already done all he _could_ do. Without his sight, his options were extremely limited. _I hope they come soon._ He thought sadly.

 **WOOH! *dusts off hands* I'm glad THAT'S over. Writing in the car is NO fun. I probably won't update for a while, since I'm on vacation right now. But, if you read the announcement at the BEGINNING, I'm coming out with TWO NEW STORIES. Go read that announcement if you haven't yet.**

 **Until next time! *stomps on an egg, which explodes* Oops…**


	10. Gold and Deja-vu

**Um… hey guys! Long time no see, eh? *laughs nervously* It's only been… what… 4 months?**

 **PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I'M SO SORRY… I've had really bad writer's block, plus the stress of recently starting high school. (#freshmankat) I never planned to completely abandon this story, just take a break (although I didn't plan to make the break this long.)**

 **Once again I'm super sorry, but at least I didn't completely abandon WLGL! I'm also happy to announce that I'll be returning to fanfiction! *halfhearted cheering***

 **Anyways, here's the LONG awaited chapter 10. This chapter is relatively short, but I wanted to get it out as soon as possible (4 months..?) I promise next chapter won't take as long for me to type up… (that is, if you guys are still reading this crappy story.)**

* * *

Astrid's hand shook. The words of the other riders echoed around her ears. She ran her thumb over the marks carefully etched into the wood of the pencil. It was obvious. This was Hiccup's pencil, no doubt about it. He's the only person she knows of who would take the time to mark their name into a pencil, let alone keep on his person all the time.

"Astrid!" Stoick shouted. "What is it?" Astrid's head snapped up, her breath hitching in her throat.

"It's Hiccup. They've been here." She held up the pencil for everyone to see. Stoick gasped, but everyone else just seemed puzzled.

Tuffnut looked thoughtfully at the pencil. "What's a piece of wood got to do with Hiccup?" He thought for a second, then gasped. "Oh my gods, Hiccup's been turned into a pencil! Don't worry H, we'll get you out of there!" Tuff continued his babbling, while the other riders just ignored him.

Stoick held out his hand expectantly. "Let me see that, Astrid." Said shieldmaiden reluctantly handed over the pencil. Stoick examined the pencil, then cradled it against himself. "Oh, Hiccup…"

"But why would Hiccup's pencil be all the way out here?" Fishlegs mused.

"Duh, he obviously left it for us as a clue. Don't you know anything, fish face?" Snotlout said impatiently.

Fishlegs opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "You've got a point."

Astrid finally found her voice. "But that doesn't explain why we haven't been able to track the scent! What if he's-" she cut herself off, not wanting to think about it.

"It doesn't matter." Stoick said quickly. "What matters is that my son has been here. We need to find him." Toothless barked his agreement. Stoick held the pencil down to Skullcrusher. "Is there any scent left on this, boy?" The Rumblehorn sniffed the pencil, pupils contracting. He gave a roar, and Stoick's face set in determination. "He's got a scent! Let's go!"

Astrid grinned widely, heart soaring with hope. If there was still a scent, then the pencil would've been put in the water recently. Astrid hoped the pencil was left as a clue, and tried not to think of the other option- the one where Hiccup wasn't okay. She directed Stormfly to follow the rest of the riders, who followed the bellowing Rumblehorn.

* * *

The masked man stood at the edge of the small boat, the breeze slightly ruffling his hood. He could see the dragon hunter's base looming up ahead. He grinned to himself, chuckling slightly. Only a little more time, and he'd be practically rich. All he had to do was deliver the Haddock boy to Viggo, which was proving to be easy as pie. He hadn't run into any disruptions at all, which surprised him. He expected those pesky dragon riders to have been all over him by now, or at least the little blonde girl. It wasn't hard to see that she had feelings for the boy, and vice versa. No matter, less trouble for him, he supposed.

The boat bumped into one of the many docks, and the masked man stepped onto the wooden platform. Viggo's men scrambled about, hauling things from crates to dragons to and fro. "So we meet again." A deep voice rumbled on his right. The man turned slightly, not surprised to see the hulking form of Ryker. "You got him?"

The masked man nodded stiffly. "I wouldn't be here if I hadn't," he answered shortly. He was still angry at the hunter for cheating him a couple months prior, though as Viggo says, it's "business."

Ryker nodded approvingly. He produced a sack, throwing it to the masked man's feet. "Viggo was adamant that you receive the gold this time." The man smirked and picked up the sack, looking inside. He was pleased to see that it was filled nearly to the brim with the promised gold.

"He's yours." The masked man stepped aside. "He's just below deck. Although you should probably know, he's blind." Ryker raised a brow. "It wasn't me, though I wish it was." He smirked as Ryker chuckled under his breath.

The hunter nodded to the two men standing obediently behind him. The masked man watched the trio head towards his ship with a cruel smile on his face.

* * *

Hiccup swore he almost had a heart attack when he heard the telltale _thump_ of the boat hitting the dock. He sincerely hoped he was mistaken, but he clearly heard the masked man step off. Hiccup strained his ears and closed his eyes- as if that made any difference. He vaguely heard voices. He guessed the masked man was talking to someone… Were they at the dragon hunter's base? Hiccup barely suppressed a shiver, hoping dearly for the opposite.

"Viggo was adamant that you receive the gold this time." A familiar voice rumbled. Hiccup's eyes shot open, his heart pounding. That voice wasn't associated with good things. Hiccup desperately tried to steady his heart, but his treacherous mind betrayed him. It played very unpleasant memories- ones that he'd love to forget, and hopefully not repeat. Hiccup knew he needed to do something- and _fast._

Bracing himself against the wall, he shakily got to his feet. Once again making a sad attempt at shaking the haddock guts out of his hair, he held his hands out in front of him, feeling for the ladder he knew was in the corner. He had no idea what he'd do once he found the ladder, not to mention if he was even able to get all the way up it without being noticed or heard. He figured his best bet was to jump into the ocean. At least then he'd have a decent chance at escaping or training a sea dragon, though he'd never been the strongest swimmer. He figured drowning would be better than the other option.

Hiccup grinned to himself when he felt the brush of wood against his outstretched fingers. He curled his hand around it, making sure it was a ladder. It definitely _felt_ like a ladder, though he could never be completely sure since he couldn't see. Hiccup carefully lifted his prosthetic, finding the bottom rung of the ladder. Taking a deep breath, he made his way up to the deck of the ship.

As soon as he felt the ladder end, he stopped and listened. It sounded like Ryker and the masked man were still talking. Hiccup pulled himself the rest of the way onto the deck of the ship, then crept forwards. He wasn't sure where the side of the ship was, but figured if he kept walking he'd find it eventually. The problem was not being seen by-

"Stop him!" Hiccup jumped at Ryker's angry shout. _Guess sneaking away is out._ He started running in the opposite direction of the hunter's pounding footsteps, hoping to reach the edge of the boat before they reached him.

Hiccup's knees hit the wood of the rim of the ship. He clambered over it and leapt, preparing himself to be enveloped by the icy waves- only have his arm nearly wrenched from its socket by Ryker. "Where do you think you're going?" The hunter's voice growled.

Even dangling over the edge of a boat with his arm in his enemy's iron grip, Hiccup still couldn't stop his mouth from blabbing. "Oh, you know, I just felt like taking a swim. The water is very nice this time of year!" Ryker chuckled darkly and pulled him up roughly, throwing him on the deck of the ship. As his head collided painfully with the wooden deck of the ship, Hiccup felt a weird sense of deja-vu. Before, Ryker caught him from falling off a cliff. This time, he stopped him from escaping in nearly the same way.

"There will be no swimming for you today, Haddock. Viggo wants a word with you- and pretty badly too." Hiccup scrambled away from the sound of Ryker's advancing footsteps, head pounding from its previous encounter with the deck. Two sets of hands grabbed his arms, hauling him to his feet. The hunters tightly tied his hands behind his back- again. Hiccup angrily tugged at them, having only just escaped the previous ropes.

"I'm flattered, but I'd really rather not. Can't he wait? I have some beauty sleep to catch up on-" A brutal punch in the gut abruptly stopped his ranting. Hiccup attempted to double over, but couldn't due to the two burly hunters grasping his biceps.

"I'm in no mood for your sass, boy. Unless if you want another one, I suggest you keep that trap of yours shut." Ryker growled. Hiccup was too busy trying to breathe to reply. Ryker roughly grabbed Hiccup by the chin, forcing him to blink up at him. He attempted to glare at the hunter, though he wasn't sure if he was looking at the right thing or not. The hunter's hot, smelly breath washed over his face. "So the masked man was right. You are blind." Hiccup rather felt than saw Ryker's evil grin.

"So what if I am?" Hiccup finally found his voice, though it sounded slightly wheezy. His gut throbbed, protesting against breathing. "I can still do this." Hiccup kicked out with his prosthetic, the metal foot connecting with Ryker's knee, bouncing off with a loud _pop._ Hiccup felt a swell of pride, listening to Ryker's pained shout. He assumed he either sprained or dislocated the hunter's knee.

"You little-" Ryker clambered back to his feet, his fist colliding brutally with the side of Hiccup's head. Instantly everything went fuzzy, his hearing fading in and out. Hiccup felt the hunters pull on his arms, dragging him off the ship. His eyes slid closed, and consciousness slipped from his grasp.

* * *

 **I… er… *coughs* Next chapter should be up in a week or so!**


	11. Nothing Good

**Oh hey, look who updated!**

 **I'M SO SORRY GUYS. I LEFT YOU ON THAT AWFUL CLIFFIE. I just haven't had any inspiration to write lately… But here comes season 6! To make up for it , this chapter is probably the longest I've written so far. THANK YOU ALL FOR 115 FOLLOWS! I'm planning on re-writing this story soon, since I'm not very happy with how I wrote it. (That's another reason why it took me so long to get this chapter out).**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Musical Ninja:** **Thanks! Oh yeah, I've seen it but haven't gotten to read it yet. I'll definitely put that on my "to read" list!**

 **thepurplewriter333:** **YES, it has been a while… sorry again! And thanks! I'm probably going to rewrite WLGL because I hate how I wrote the previous chapters. And no more 4 month waits…. Hopefully.**

 **Animalsarepeopletoo:** **I hope that's a happy scream…? AH yes, Hiccup the magic pencil… I dunno what I was thinking when I wrote that. YES IT'S A THING! Aww, thanks! There's really not enough Hiccup sass in RTTE.**

 **Phieillydinyia:** **You'll see! *evil grin***

 **Lovetoread89:** **Yeah… poor Hiccup. Sadly he's gonna smell like fish guts for a while.**

 **TheDrawingDemon:** **Thanks! That means a lot!**

 **GriffTalon:** **I accept the challenge!**

 **Everyone else: Thanks! Yes it's been WAY over a week! I swear I won't wait this long again.**

 **Now, ON TO CHAPTER 11!**

* * *

Hiccup had to say, the sensation of coming back into consciousness was never a pleasant experience. He had been knocked out more times than he'd prefer, and the process of waking up was always the same. It felt like waking from a horrible nap, one in which he hardly got any rest at all. First, he gradually starts hearing things, though everything is vague and hard to decipher. Second comes a general feeling of clamminess and confusion. Next his sense of awareness comes back, which is usually, in his case, accompanied with pain. For Hiccup, the amount of pain always depended on how he blacked out. If he was knocked out, for instance, waking from unconsciousness was accompanied by a searing headache and an extreme hate of the world.

As Hiccup experienced the _oh so pleasant_ process of waking up, he started to hear voices. As his hearing gradually came into focus, so did the pain. The sharp throbbing in his head and stomach almost made him cry out, but he barely held it in. He didn't want his father to start prodding him to take his medicine, which usually tasted _awful-_

"Think he's gonna wake up anytime soon?" A deep, tentative voice questioned. Well that wasn't his dad. Hiccup blearily opened his eyes, blinking drowsily. He expected to be met with the sight of his room, but instead was met with the view of total darkness. Perfect. He nearly forgot about his blindness.

"Doubt it, Ryker conked him out pretty good." Another voice replied. Hiccup's confusion was washed away and replaced with an entirely different emotion: fear. Immediately, the after-effects of unconsciousness faded, making Hiccup's head and stomach pound insistently. He couldn't hold back the tiny hiss that escaped his clenched teeth.

"Well, he better soon. Viggo's been looking forward to "talking" with this runt." Both of the voices chuckled- Hiccup assumed they were dragon hunters, and he was in a cell. _Great._ Hiccup held himself still, to reduce the risk of the hunters noticing him. He was laying on his side, arms still tied behind his back from before. Hiccup thanked Thor for his arm guards, or his wrists would probably be bleeding by now. He would never take advantage of the use of his arms again, after being restrained for- how long has it been?

 _Astrid would probably know._ Hiccup cringed slightly. He missed her terribly. He also missed his father, Toothless, the riders… Thor, he would give anything to hear the twins bicker again.

The sound of heavy footsteps reached Hiccup's ears. The hunters outside immediately shut up, making Hiccup assume whoever was approaching was someone of authority. Someone like-

"Has he woken up yet?" _Ryker._

"N-not yet, sir." One of the hunters stammered.

"Well, Viggo's getting impatient. Time to put that water to use." Ryker growled. With the mention of water, Hiccup suddenly was hit with a wave of thirst and hunger. He hadn't eaten in _days._ The masked man had brought down water occasionally, knowing that he needed water to stay alive, but he hadn't had any food since he was captured. How long ago was that again…? He really needed a sundial.

Hiccup's musings were abruptly stopped when the cell door swung open. He tensed slightly, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath. The footsteps abruptly stopped behind him. Hiccup forced himself to relax, trying to appear unconscious. Maybe if they thought he was still knocked out, they'd leave...

A foot nudged his aching stomach, sending a twinge of pain through his whole body. Hiccup forced himself to stay still, holding in the groan of pain he desperately wanted to release. "Yup, he's still out of it."

"Well, time to change that." Something wet and cold suddenly flooded over Hiccup's face, going up his nose and into his mouth. He had no choice but to roll over and cough up his guts. "He's up now boss!" A hunter's voice rang out. Hiccup let his head hit the cold ground with a groan. Apparently, that was what the water was for.

Suddenly, Hiccup found himself being lifted up by the collar of his armor. His head spinning and stomach pounding, Hiccup barely suppressed another groan. Hot, smelly breath washed over his face. Hiccup blinked up, glaring at what he assumed was Ryker.

"Viggo's been waitin' for ya. He's been getting impatient." Hiccup heard the leer in Ryker's voice. "Honestly, I've been getting impatient too." Ryker released the hold on Hiccup's armor. He stumbled, almost falling back to the ground, when two sets of hands grabbed his upper arms. Hiccup found himself being dragged. He tried wrenching his arms out of the hunters' grips, but got nothing more than a few irritated grumbles from them.

Hiccup did everything in his power to make the hunters' job hard- or at least harder. He dragged his feet, kicked at the hunter's legs, and repeatedly shook his arms, trying to wrench them from their grasps. All the while, he protested loudly. "Y'know, couldn't Viggo have sent a letter or something? I know how to read! Does he think I'm illiterate or something? That would be ridiculous, as he calls me a "worthy adversary." I'm pretty sure worthy adversaries can read. Can you read?"

"Shut up!" Ryker grumbled.

"I'll take that as a no." Hiccup shook his arms again, causing the hunters to tighten their grips. "Oh, would you loosen up already? It's not like I'm going anywhere!"

"Cooperate, boy, or more pain will come." Ryker growled.

Hiccup dug his feet into the floor as hard as he could. "Look! I'm being cooperative!" He kicked at the hunter holding his right arm, making the hunter yelp. "Very cooperative!"

Hiccup felt the hunters ascend a staircase and stop in front of what Hiccup assumed was a door. Ryker knocked, the harsh sounds echoing around the hallway. The door sounded like it was made of thick wood.

Said door creaked open, and Hiccup was dragged inside. The door shut behind them. Hiccup glanced around, glaring at everything and nothing at the same time. He knew he couldn't show weakness, and blindness was definitely considered a weakness.

"Ah, Hiccup. We meet at last." Viggo's voice said from a corner. Hiccup sighed heavily, glowering in the direction the voice came from. "I trust you've had a pleasant journey here?"

"Oh, yeah, sure! If you count having fish guts dumped on you, that is. Want a whiff? I'm pretty sure I still smell like it-" Ryker backhanded him across the head, shutting him up. The hunters who previously held his arms let go, leaving Hiccup to stumble slightly. Ryker took hold of his upper arm, dragging over to where he assumed Viggo was.

Hiccup tried kicking at Ryker again, but froze when a callused hand suddenly touched his face. The hand grabbed his chin, then tilted his head up. Hiccup scowled, twisting his wrists in the ropes. "So, I hear from Ryker you're blind." Viggo said thoughtfully.

Hiccup huffed, but didn't reply. "How, may I ask, did it happen?" Viggo released his chin. Hiccup again didn't reply. He had no idea why Viggo was being so… talkative. Hiccup knew he was always talkative, but to ask such a personal question?

Ryker hit Hiccup over the head again, making it throb more. "Respond, boy, or you'll answer to me."

"Lightning." Hiccup muttered, resigned.

"Ah, yes. I've heard of blindness resulting from extreme stimulation of the pupil." Viggo chuckled. "When life gives you lightning, I suppose nothing good can come from it."

"Why am I here?" Hiccup said pointedly. He was sick of Viggo's antics.

"Ah, yes. You've always been straight to the point, Hiccup. That's one of the things that makes you such a worthy adversary." Hiccup hated when Viggo said that.

"Worthy adversary, my butt," Ryker muttered from next to Hiccup where he still gripped his arm.

"Ah, Ryker, you wish you had enough intelligence to equal that of a terrible terror." Viggo stated nonchalantly. The grip on Hiccup's arm tightened considerably, making Hiccup flinch. He tried jerking his arm away, to no avail. He was pretty sure he'd have huge, finger-shaped bruises, but that was probably the least of his concerns at the moment.

"Bring him here, Ryker." Hiccup felt himself being dragged again, then was flung more forcefully than needed into a chair. He attempted to stand, but a hand landed on his shoulder, shoving him down again.

Viggo circled around the chair. "You asked why you were here. I'd think you would have figured it out by now."

Hiccup pretended to think. "Hmm, let me guess. You wanted to paint Ryker pink? No offense, but that's not a very flattering color-" A fist landed on his gut, the air instantly leaving him. Hiccup was pretty sure he heard a few cracks. Hiccup gasped for breath, trying desperately not to scream at the white-hot pain in his chest. He was pretty sure a few ribs were broken- and that was just one punch!

"Wrong answer. Guess again." Viggo sounded amused.

"You-" Hiccup gasped. "-you want me to read to Ryker? I'm- I'm pretty sure he's illiterate." This time, a finger pressed on one of his broken ribs- _hard._ Hiccup's eyes screwed shut, as he tried desperately not to cry out. A low groan escaped against his consent.

"Careful Ryker, you might kill him." Viggo said idly.

"And that would be a problem why?" The pressure finally left his chest. Hiccup coughed violently, making his ribs hurt worse.

"We need information." Viggo stood in front of Hiccup, whose eyes were still screwed shut. "Plus, a little revenge would be a bonus." Viggo's hand fisted in Hiccup's hair, wrenching his head back. "It's rude to not make eye contact."

Hiccup finally found his voice, though it was more raspy than he'd like. "Like I can see you anyway."

Hiccup heard the metallic sound of someone drawing a knife. Cold metal pressed to his cheek. "Now, I need some information from you. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Viggo's voice hardened. "In both you die." The knife pressed harder, leaving a shallow cut near his hairline.

"Now-" A loud boom sounded in the distance. The entire fortress seemed to shake. Hiccup distantly heard whooping, and an echo of 'Snotlout, Snotlout, oi oi oi!'

"Dragon riders!" Hiccup's head jerked up, as he gasped for the breath that left him previously. The riders had actually came for him.

Viggo growled, a sound that was very unusual for his usually composed character. The knife left his cheek. Even through the pounding in his head and chest, Hiccup smirked. "Now what, Viggo?"

Hands gripped his arms again, forcing him to stand. "Your friends are destroying my base." Viggo said darkly. "I suppose I'll have to get my information elsewhere."

Again, a fist hit him on the temple, sending Hiccup wavering in and out of consciousness. He vaguely felt himself being dragged, then felt the welcoming breeze of fresh air. Hiccup inhaled deeply. Shouts and echoes of explosions sounded throughout the air. His eyes closed of their own accord.

* * *

"Where do you think he'd be?" Astrid shouted to Stoick over the sounds of the battle below them. Skullcrusher had tracked the scent of Hiccup's pencil to the dragon hunter's base- shocker. The twins were blowing up various ships and catapults, while Snotlout and Hookfang torched the attacking hunters.

"My guess is in a fortress, or someplace secure." Another boom shook the base. Stoick had dropped Toothless off on the ground, who was wreaking havoc of his own. The dragon was furious at the hunters for taking his rider- and Astrid couldn't blame him a bit. She would be taking out her anger on the hunters as well, but she had more important things to do.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Astrid said impatiently. It had been six days and eleven hours- far too long for her liking. She was used to having Hiccup in her life, and hated when he wasn't. She was definitely aware of her feelings for him, there was no point in trying to deny it. Recent events brought everything into perspective. First the bounty was put on Hiccup's head, then a few short weeks later the Submaripper incident occurred. Now Hiccup goes missing again. If she found him, she was going to tell him how she felt. No, not if. _When._

"Guys, keep blowing things up! We're going to look for Hiccup." Astrid yelled to the others. Snotlout and Fishlegs nodded, and the twins saluting. They directed their dragons back to the fight, resuming their whooping.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice of Viggo sounded clearly. Astrid whipped her head around, staring at Viggo. He stood on a cliff, clearly having just come out of the large building behind him. He carried a torch, making a pulsing ring of light around him in the darkness.

"Where's Hiccup?" Stoick yelled to the hunter.

"Ah, yes. Straight to the point, just like your son." Viggo smiled unnervingly. "I'm afraid you don't have to look much farther." He brought forth his hand, making a beckoning gesture to something.

In the darkness, Astrid had a hard time seeing what was going on. Another smaller torch bobbed through the darkness. An purpley explosion lit up the night- Toothless's plasma blast- and illuminated Ryker, who was dragging… _something._ Astrid squinted, trying to make out what the thing was. It looked… vaguely humanoid.

Ryker came to stand next to Viggo, and she could finally see the brothers clearly in the light of the torches. Ryker pulled the something upwards… no, not something. _Someone._ And not just anyone.

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled frantically. Astrid was pretty sure her voice had joined his, but in her panic she couldn't be sure. Ryker held Hiccup up, his massive arm holding the rider securely against his chest. Hiccup's head lolled to the side, his body limp. He looked unconscious.

Astrid and Stoick both directed their dragons down toward the Grimborn brothers. They landed with a loud thump about ten feet away from the men. Astrid leapt off Stormfly, who squawked angrily. Stoick dismounted heavily, brandishing his axe. He gave a mighty war cry and started forward, but was stopped as Ryker whipped out a knife, swiftly pressing it against Hiccup's throat.

"Ah ah ah, Stoick! There will be none of that." Viggo said with a wicked grin. Ryker chuckled darkly.

Astrid jolted, almost running forward. "Let him go!" Astrid watched Hiccup anxiously, who started to move. His eyes blinked open drearily, though Astrid knew he still couldn't see. He started to move his head, but froze almost immediately after, no doubt feeling the sharpness of the metal at his neck.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear Astrid." Hiccup tensed at that, eyes darting around. "You see, while I still have him I hold all the cards, do I not?"

"Astrid?" Hiccup's voice rasped tentatively, unseeing eyes searching the darkness desperately for something. Probably her.

"Yes! I'm here!" Astrid cried shakily. Her hands shook in both anger and nervousness. "We're going to get you out of here!"

At Astrid's words Hiccup shifted in Ryker's grip. The hunter then pressed the knife harder into Hiccup's neck, immediately ceasing all his movement. Hiccup's arms were twisted behind his back… probably tied there. Astrid gazed anxiously at Hiccup's tense face. A thin stream of blood trickled down from the fresh cut made on the side of his throat. Blood was still flowing from another cut on his temple, and his face was dirty. His chest heaved rapidly, and he winced at injuries she couldn't see.

"Let him go." Stoick said angrily. Hiccup's eyes shifted to the direction of his father's voice.

"And why should I do that?" Viggo started to pace. "Your riders are wreaking havoc on my carefully constructed base. Why shouldn't I return the favor, when I easily can?" Viggo then gestured to Ryker, who was still holding Hiccup.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed and he jerked in Ryker's grip. "What makes you think you're going to get anything out of this?" Hiccup's level-headedness in situations such as this still surprised Astrid.

Viggo chuckled and turned his gaze to Hiccup. "I don't think I'll get anything out of this. I know I will." He stalked toward his captive, grabbing his chin and directing his head towards Stoick and Astrid. Hiccup winced slightly.

"Don't touch him!" Astrid shrieked. Her fists clenched in fury, longing to hit Viggo and everyone who dared to hurt Hiccup. Stoick tensed similarly beside Astrid.

"My dear Astrid, I believe you're forgetting who has your heir." Viggo turned Hiccup's face back towards himself. Hiccup glared hatefully at the hunter, somehow managing to make direct eye contact with Viggo. The man chuckled and released Hiccup's chin, nodding to Ryker who returned the blade to Hiccup's throat.

"Now," Viggo grinned at Stoick. "I'll be willing to make a deal with you. You leave here with your riders, and your precious Hiccup's death shall be postponed indefinitely."

Stoick's glare was murderous. His massive fists tightened. "Never. Let him go."

"Dad, just go." Hiccup looked in Stoick's direction. "It's not worth it."

Astrid's heart dropped like a stone. "Hiccup, you're worth _everything_ to us. We're not leaving without you!" Astrid was shocked. How could he believe he wasn't worth it to them? To _her?_

Hiccup shook his head and opened his mouth. Ryker, apparently fed up with their exchange, clamped his free hand over Hiccup's mouth before he had a chance to reply. "Yes. You're leaving without him." Ryker growled to Astrid. Hiccup jerked again, trying to get out of Ryker's grip.

"No, we're not!" Stoick roared, waving his axe at Viggo. "Either you let him go now, or you _will_ regret it."

A flash of uncertainty passed over Ryker's face. He no doubt remembered how Stoick's fist felt against his chin.

Viggo grinned maliciously. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Stoick growled.

Viggo shrugged. "Suit yourself, then." He nodded to his brother.

Ryker removed the blade from his neck. Hiccup tensed, squeezing his eyes shut. Astrid sucked in a breath, and watched the scene unfold helplessly. Raising the knife in one clean motion, Ryker brought it down again… and sunk it straight into Hiccup's stomach.

* * *

 **Oops.**


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